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The experience of trauma is common for US adults and even more pervasive for patients presenting in psychiatric settings. Estimates of previous experience of traumatic events is 51% to 84% [...]

Lyme disease is the most common vectorborne disease in Maine. Borrelia burgdorferi, the agent of Lyme disease, is transmitted through the bite of infected blacklegged ticks (Ixodes scapularis). Lyme disease [...]

Branched β-1,3-glucans and the eicosapolyenoic acids (EP) are among the best characterized oomycete elicitors that trigger innate immune responses in plants. These elicitors were identified over three decades ago, and they were useful in the study of the sequence of physiological, biochemical and molecular events that induce resistance in plants. However, in spite of the cross-kingdom parallels where these molecules are well-characterized as immune system modulators in animals, their perception and modes of action in plants remains obscure. Oomycetes are among the most important plant pathogens, responsible for diseases that devastate crops, ornamentals, and tree species worldwide. With the recent interest and advances in our understanding of innate immunity in plants, and the redefining of many of the classical elicitors as microbe-associated molecular patterns (MAMPs), it seems timely and important to reexamine β-glucans and EP using contemporary approaches. In this review, we highlight early studies of β-glucans and EP, discuss their roles as evolutionarily conserved signals, and consider their action in relation to current models of MAMP-triggered immunity.

Branched β-1,3-glucans and the eicosapolyenoic acids (EP) are among the best characterized oomycete elicitors that trigger innate immune responses in plants. These elicitors were identified over three decades ago, and they were useful in the study of the sequence of physiological, biochemical and molecular events that induce resistance in plants. However, in spite of the cross-kingdom parallels where these molecules are well-characterized as immune system modulators in animals, their perception and modes of action in plants remains obscure. Oomycetes are among the most important plant pathogens, responsible for diseases that devastate crops, ornamentals, and tree species worldwide. With the recent interest and advances in our understanding of innate immunity in plants, and the redefining of many of the classical elicitors as microbe-associated molecular patterns (MAMPs), it seems timely and important to reexamine β-glucans and EP using contemporary approaches. In this review, we highlight early studies of β-glucans and EP, discuss their roles as evolutionarily conserved signals, and consider their action in relation to current models of MAMP-triggered immunity.

Background: The risk of infection with avian influenza A viruses currently circulating in wild and domestic birds in the Americas is considered low for the general public; however, detections in humans have been reported and warning signs of increased zoonotic potential have been identified. In December 2022, two Canada geese residing on the grounds of an urban hospital in Maine tested positive for influenza A H5N1 clade 2.3.4.4b. Aims: Given the opportunity for exposure to staff and hospital visitors through potentially infected faeces on the property, public health authorities determined mitigation efforts were needed to prevent the spread of disease. The ensuing response relied on collaboration between the public health and animal health agencies to guide the hospital through efforts in preventing possible zoonotic transmission to humans. Materials and Methods: Mitigation efforts included staff communication and education, environmental cleaning and disinfection, enhanced illness surveillance among staff and patients, and exposure and source reduction. Results: No human H5N1 cases were identified, and no additional detections in birds on the property occurred. Hospital staff identified barriers to preparedness resulting from a lack of understanding of avian influenza A viruses and transmission prevention methods, including avian influenza risk in resident wild bird populations and proper wildlife management methods. Conclusion: As this virus continues to circulate at the animal‐human interface, this event and resulting response highlights the need for influenza A H5N1 risk awareness and guidance for facilities and groups not traditionally involved in avian influenza responses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

L-methylfolate is commonly presented as a safe augmenting agent to patients with antidepressant non-response in unipolar depression with virtually no side effects. Although this is likely to be true most [...]

A report published by the United States Department of Health and Human Services Health Resources and Services Administration projected that the mental health care field will be short 250,000 mental [...]

Military medicine has a long history of humanitarian efforts globally, including responses to natural disasters and as planned medical civil action projects. However, ending two decades of war in Afghanistan, Walter Reed National Military Medical Center (WRNMMC) was tasked to receive up to 63 injured patients with less than 96-hour notice on August 27, 2021. As part of Operation Allies Refuge and transition to Operation Allies Welcome, this article highlights the complicated cross-organizational and multidisciplinary response at WRNMMC where ultimately 277 Afghan patients and nonmedical attendants received medical care and other requirements for resettlement. Lessons learned from coordinating the complex short suspense medical, cultural, and logistic efforts are noted as considerations and practical recommendations for future missions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hildegard Peplau, the founder of advanced practice psychiatric nursing, was a nurse theorist and educator, and her development of the theory of interpersonal relations revolutionized nursing care. (1) Peplau collaborated [...]

During the 2009-2010 influenza pandemic, when pandemic (H1N1) 2009 virus was the predominant circulating influenza virus (1), the prevalence of oseltamivir-resistant pandemic (H1N1) 2009 viruses in the United States was [...]

This research investigated the use of red pigment producing fungi in controlled inoculation into woody substrates for decorative applications. Two Fusarium species isolated from red-stained wood and two strains of Arthrographis cuboidea capable of producing red stain in culture were inoculated onto sugar maple (Acer saccharum Marsh.), incubated for 6-14 weeks, and evaluated for their ability to produce a high-saturation, penetrating stain. Both Fusarium species failed to produce significant pigmentation either externally or internally. Both strains of A. cuboidea produced high amounts of surface and penetrating red stain within a moderate incubation period (over 80% of the wood samples stained by 10 weeks of incubation) but were capable of doing so only under sterile or semisterile conditions. Production of red stain did not differ between A. cuboidea isolates except at 6 and 8 weeks where isolate ELS-1 had significantly higher internal red stain. It was also found that an increase in incubation time for A. cuboidea past 8 weeks led to increasing amounts of blue pigment on external wood surfaces. The findings indicate that A. cuboidea is suitable for production of red pigmentation on decorative wood applications only if utilized under sterile or semisterile conditions and incubation is halted before blue pigment begins to form. Cette recherche s'est penchee sur l'utilisation de champignons qui produisent un pigment rouge dans le cadre d'inoculations controlees sur des substrats ligneux pour des usages decoratifs. Deux especes de Fusarium isolees dans du bois colore en rouge et deux souches d'Arthrographis cuboidea capables de produire une coloration rouge en culture ont ete inoculees sur de l'erable a sucre (Acer saccharum Marsh.), incubees pendant 6-14 semaines et evaluees pour leur capacite a produire une coloration penetrante et fortement saturee. Les deux especes de Fusarium n'ont pas ete capables de produire une quantite significative de pigmentation, ni en surface ni dans le bois. Les deux souches d'A. cuboidea ont produit de grandes quantites de coloration rouge en surface et dans les tissus au cours d'une periode d'incubation moderee (plus de 80 % des echantillons de bois etaient colores apres 10 semaines d'incubation), mais seulement en conditions steriles ou semisteriles. Il n'y avait pas de difference entre les isolats quant a la production de coloration rouge, excepte apres six et huit semaines alors que l'isolat ELS-1 produisait une coloration rouge interne significativement plus abondante. Nous avons egalement observe qu'A. cuboidea produisait une quantite croissante de pigment bleu a la surface du bois avec une augmentation de la periode d'incubation au-dela de huit semaines. Les resultats indiquent qu'A. cuboidea est approprie pour la production de pigmentation rouge pour un usage decoratif sur le bois, seulement s'il est utilise en conditions steriles ou semi-steriles et que l'incubation est stoppee avant que la pigmentation bleue commence a se former. [Traduit par la Redaction], Introduction Fungal pigments A number of wood-colonizing fungi are capable of producing pigments under specific conditions; however, the ability of those pigments to penetrate below the wood surface is highly [...]

Historically, public health surveillance for Lyme disease has required clinical follow‐up on positive laboratory reports for the purpose of case classification. In areas with sustained high incidence of the disease, this resource‐intensive activity yields a limited benefit to public health practice. A range of burden‐reducing strategies have been implemented in many states, creating inconsistencies that limit the ability to decipher trends. Laboratory‐based surveillance, or surveillance based solely on positive laboratory reports without follow‐up for clinical information on positive laboratory reports, emerged as a feasible alternative to improve standardization in already high‐incidence areas. To inform expectations of a laboratory‐based surveillance model, we conducted a retrospective analysis of Lyme disease data collected during 2012–2018 from 10 high‐incidence states. The number of individuals with laboratory evidence of infection ranged from 1302 to 20,994 per state and year. On average, 55% of those were ultimately classified as confirmed or probable cases (range: 29%–86%). Among all individuals with positive laboratory evidence, 18% (range: 2%–37%) were determined to be 'not a case' upon investigation and 23% (range: 2%–52%) were classified as suspect cases due to lack of associated clinical information and thus were not reported to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The number of reported cases under a laboratory‐based approach to surveillance in high‐incidence states using recommended two‐tier testing algorithms is likely to be, on average, 1.2 times higher (range: 0.6–1.8 times) than what was reported to CDC during 2012–2018. A laboratory‐based surveillance approach for high‐incidence states will improve standardization and reduce burden on public health systems, allowing public health resources to focus on prevention messaging, exploration of novel prevention strategies and alternative data sources to yield information on the epidemiology of Lyme disease. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND: In adults, vestibular loss is associated with cognitive deficits; however, similar relationships have not been studied in children. OBJECTIVE: Evaluate the effect of vestibular loss on working memory and executive function in children with a cochlear implant (CCI) compared to children with normal hearing (CNH). METHODS: Vestibular evoked myogenic potential, video head impulse, rotary chair, and balance testing; and the following clinical measures: vision, hearing, speech perception, language, executive function, and working memory. RESULTS: Thirty-eight CNH and 37 CCI participated (26 with normal vestibular function, 5 with unilateral vestibular loss, 6 with bilateral vestibular loss). Children with vestibular loss demonstrated the poorest balance performance. There was no significant reduction in working memory or executive function performance for either CCI group with vestibular loss; however, multivariate regression analysis suggested balance performance was a significant predictor for several working memory subtests and video head impulse gain was a significant predictor for one executive function outcome. CONCLUSIONS: CCI with vestibular loss did not have significantly reduced working memory or executive function; however, balance performance was a significant predictor for several working memory subtests. Degree of hearing loss should be considered, and larger sample sizes are needed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

THE YOUTH MINISTRY INSTITUTE of New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary launched the Youth Ministry Arenas (YMA) project with a primary goal of researching leader perceptions of effectiveness in three arenas of youth ministry: teenagers in the youth group, teenagers in families, and teenagers in the congregation. Stage one of a three-stage project included online surveys of 314 youth ministry leaders. Survey responses produced an overall score and three sub-scales. Stage two involved telephone interviews with respondents who scored high in each arena and discussion of initial results with an advisory panel. Stage three consisted of refinement of the YMA survey instrument for use as an online assessment tool for youth leaders. This article includes the survey design overview and initial insights from the quantitative survey data and qualitative thematic analysis of the phone interviews. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Large indoor gatherings pose a high risk for transmission of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), and have the potential to be super-spreading events (1,2). Such events are associated with explosive growth, followed by sustained transmission (3). During August 7-September 14, 2020, the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention (MeCDC) investigated a COVID-19 outbreak linked to a wedding reception attended by 55 persons in a rural Maine town. In addition to the community outbreak, secondary and tertiary transmission led to outbreaks at a long-term care facility 100 miles away and at a correctional facility approximately 200 miles away. Overall, 177 COVID-19 cases were epidemiologically linked to the event, including seven hospitalizations and seven deaths (four in hospitalized persons). Investigation revealed noncompliance with CDC's recommended mitigation measures. To reduce transmission, persons should avoid large gatherings, practice physical distancing, wear masks, stay home when ill, and self-quarantine after exposure to a person with confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection. Persons can work with local health officials to increase COVID-19 awareness and determine the best policies for organizing social events to prevent outbreaks in their communities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

During the course of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, reports of a new multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C) have been increasing in Europe and the United States (1-3). Clinical features in children have varied but predominantly include shock, cardiac dysfunction, abdominal pain, and elevated inflammatory markers, including C-reactive protein (CRP), ferritin, D-dimer, and interleukin-6 (1). Since June 2020, several case reports have described a similar syndrome in adults; this review describes in detail nine patients reported to CDC, seven from published case reports, and summarizes the findings in 11 patients described in three case series in peer-reviewed journals (4-6). These 27 patients had cardiovascular, gastrointestinal, dermatologic, and neurologic symptoms without severe respiratory illness and concurrently received positive test results for SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) or antibody assays indicating recent infection. Reports of these patients highlight the recognition of an illness referred to here as multisystem inflammatory syndrome in adults (MIS-A), the heterogeneity of clinical signs and symptoms, and the role for antibody testing in identifying similar cases among adults. Clinicians and health departments should consider MIS-A in adults with compatible signs and symptoms. These patients might not have positive SARS-CoV-2 PCR or antigen test results, and antibody testing might be needed to confirm previous SARS-CoV-2 infection. Because of the temporal association between MIS-A and SARS-CoV-2 infections, interventions that prevent COVID-19 might prevent MIS-A. Further research is needed to understand the pathogenesis and long-term effects of this newly described condition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]