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[Display omitted] • Aims to support the clinical translation of quantitative MR imaging biomarkers. • Provides an overview of the current use and quality management of quantitative MRI. • Defines "translation ratio" between journal articles and clinical research studies. • Gives examples of successful academic qMR imaging biomarker translation. • Presents gap analysis between current practice and metrological ideal. This overview of the current landscape of quantitative magnetic resonance imaging biomarkers (qMR IBs) aims to support the standardisation of academic IBs to assist their translation to clinical practice. We used three complementary approaches to investigate qMR IB use and quality management practices within the UK: 1) a literature search of qMR and quality management terms during 2011–2015 and 2016–2020; 2) a database search for clinical research studies using qMR IBs during 2016–2020; and 3) a survey to ascertain the current availability and quality management practices for clinical MRI scanners and associated equipment at research institutions across the UK. The analysis showed increased use of all qMR methods between the periods 2011–2015 and 2016–2020 and diffusion-tensor MRI and volumetry to be popular methods. However, the "translation ratio" of journal articles to clinical research studies was higher for qMR methods that have evidence of clinical translation via a commercial route, such as fat fraction and T 2 mapping. The number of journal articles citing quality management terms doubled between the periods 2011–2015 and 2016–2020; although, its proportion relative to all journal articles only increased by 3.0%. The survey suggested that quality assurance (QA) and quality control (QC) of data acquisition procedures are under-reported in the literature and that QA/QC of acquired data/data analysis are under-developed and lack consistency between institutions. We summarise current attempts to standardise and translate qMR IBs, and conclude by outlining the ideal quality management practices and providing a gap analysis between current practice and a metrological standard. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A study is described that shows that there is an association between anxiety sensitivity, anxiety symptoms and drinking of alcohol. The study was done on 82 alcoholic patients undergoing treatment. Patients with anxiety sensitivity fear anxiety symptoms so when they are present, they may use alcohol to make them go away.

Past research into the relation between anxiety sensitivity and substance abuse is examined. People who have anxiety sensitivity are afraid of their bodies' natural reactions to stress and anxiety and these may cause them to overuse prescription drugs or abuse other addictive substances to curb the physiological symptoms that they fear.

Alcohol outcome expectancies (AOE) have been linked to drinking behavior. It is hypothesized that expectancies may be time-specific. The findings indicated that tension-reduction expectancies are not stable during the course of a drinking episode. A treatment approach aimed at amplifying attention to expectancies for the more negative longer-term effects of alcohol is suggested.

The effects of alcohol on facial expressions are examined using anxiety patients undergoing panic provocation. It was found that facial expressions of alcohol drinkers have lower emotional masking. A parallel recommendation for future studies considers emotional masking as a nuisance variable because it is sometimes used to cover fear and distress. It is concluded that facial expressions can be an informative tool in alcohol research.

Individuals with social phobia were asked to give a speech in front of a group before and after consuming a placebo beverage, so that the varying responses to the manipulations in alcohol-placebo studies which were produced due to the individual differences in tension-reduction alcohol outcome expectancies (TR-AOEs) could be tested. After the consumption of the placebo-beverage, men with strong TR-AOEs experienced a greater reduction in negative evaluation and distress as compared to the men with weak TR-AOEs.

Objective: We sought to determine the prevalence, molecular epidemiology, and factors associated with Staphylococcus aureus environmental surface and pet colonization in households of children with community-associated methicillin-resistant S. aureus (CA-MRSA) infection.Methods: Between 2012 and 2015, 150 children with CA-MRSA infections and their household contacts and pets were enrolled in this cross-sectional study in metropolitan Saint Louis, MO. Cultures to detect S. aureus were collected from 3 anatomic sites of household members, 2 dog/cat sites, and 21 environmental surfaces in each household. Molecular epidemiology of S. aureus isolates was determined via repetitive-sequence PCR. Generalized linear models were developed to identify factors associated with S. aureus/MRSA household contamination.Results: MRSA was recovered from environmental surfaces in 69 (46%) households (median 2 surfaces [range 1-18]). The enrollment infecting strain type was the most common strain recovered from the environment in most (64%) households. In generalized linear models, factors associated with a higher proportion of MRSA-contaminated environmental surfaces were household member MRSA colonization burden, MRSA as the dominant S. aureus strain colonizing household members, more strain types per household member, index case African-American race, and renting (vs. owning) the home. Of 132 pets, 14% were colonized with MRSA. Pets whose primary caretaker was MRSA-colonized were more likely to be MRSA-colonized than pets whose primary caretaker was not MRSA-colonized (50% vs. 4%, p < 0.001).Conclusions: Household environments and pet dogs and cats serve as reservoirs of MRSA. Household member MRSA colonization burden predicts environmental MRSA contamination. Longitudinal studies will inform the directionality of household transmission. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Statins are recommended for use in patients with peripheral arterial disease (PAD) to reduce cardiovascular events and mortality. However, much of the data regarding benefits of statins stem from the cardiovascular literature. Here, we review the literature regarding statin use specifically in patients with PAD regarding its effects on cardiovascular events and mortality, limb-related outcomes, statin use after endovascular interventions, statin dosing, and concerns about statins. Methods We performed a literature review using PubMed for literature after the year 2000. Search terms included “statins,” “peripheral arterial disease,” “peripheral vascular disease,” “lipid-lowering medication,” and “cardiovascular disease.” Results There is good evidence of statins lowering cardiovascular events and cardiovascular-related mortality in patients with PAD. Though revascularization rates were reduced with statins, amputation rates and amputation-free survival did not improve. Small randomized controlled trials show that patients taking statins can slightly improve pain-free walking distance or pain-free walking time, although the extent of the effect on quality of life is unclear. Statin use for patients undergoing endovascular interventions is recommended because of the reduction of postoperative cardiovascular events. Not enough data exist to support local effects of systemic statin therapy, such as prevention of restenosis. For statin dosing, there is little increased benefit to intense therapy compared with the adverse effects, whereas moderate-dose therapy has significant benefits with very few adverse effects. Adverse effects of moderate-dose statin therapy are rare and mild and are greatly outweighed by the cardiovascular benefits. Conclusions There is strong evidence to support use of statins in patients with PAD to reduce cardiovascular events and mortality. Use in patients undergoing open and endovascular interventions is also recommended. Statin use may reduce the need for revascularization, but reductions in amputation have not been shown. Moderate-dose statin therapy is safe, and the minor risks are greatly outweighed by benefits. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights: [•] We examined the association of PDs with the persistence of anxiety disorders. [•] The pattern of associations indicates a time-of-measurement effect. [•] Previous findings involving PDs in NESARC should be taken with caution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Shell middens are one of the most important and widespread indicators for human exploitation of marine resources and occupation of coastal environments. Establishing an accurate and reliable chronology for these deposits has fundamental implications for understanding the patterns of human evolution and dispersal. This paper explores the potential application of a new methodology of amino acid racemization (AAR) dating of shell middens and describes a simple protocol to test the suitability of different molluscan species. This protocol provides a preliminary test for the presence of an intracrystalline fraction of proteins (by bleaching experiments and subsequent heating at high temperature), checking the closed system behaviour of this fraction during diagenesis. Only species which pass both tests can be considered suitable for further studies to obtain reliable age information. This amino acid geochronological technique is also applied to midden deposits at two latitudinal extremes: Northern Scotland and the Southern Red Sea. Results obtained in this study indicate that the application of this new method of AAR dating of shells has the potential to aid the geochronological investigation of shell mounds in different areas of the world. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Alcohol dependence (AD) is more likely to occur among individuals with rather than without an anxiety disorder. Self-medication theory (SMT) holds that drinking behavior is negatively reinforced when alcohol temporarily reduces anxiety and that the resulting escalation of drinking increases the risk for AD. We set out to empirically scrutinize SMT using the National Epidemiologic Survey on Alcohol and Related Conditions (NESARC) dataset. We found that only a minority (about 20%) of anxiety disordered individuals endorsed drinking to control anxiety symptoms. This minority drank more alcohol, had a higher cross-sectional rate of AD, and was at higher risk for developing new AD over four years compared to anxiety disordered non-self-medicators and individuals with no anxiety disorder. Consistent with SMT, increased prospective risk for AD among self-medicators is partially mediated by an increased level of alcohol use. Understanding the processes that promote and inhibit self-medication should be a priority for anxiety disorder researchers. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Anxiety disorders commonly co-occur with alcohol use disorders and reliably mark a poor response to substance abuse treatment. However, treating a co-occurring anxiety disorder does not reliably improve substance abuse treatment outcomes. Failure to account for individual differences in the functional dynamic between anxiety symptoms and drinking behavior might impede the progress and clarity of this research program. For example, while both theory and research point to the moderating role of tension-reduction alcohol outcome expectancies (TR-AOEs) in the association between anxiety symptoms and alcohol use, relevant treatment studies have not typically modeled TR-AOE effects. We examined the impact of a hybrid cognitive-behavioral therapy (H-CBT) treatment for panic disorder (independent variable) on response to a community-based alcohol dependence treatment program (dependent variable) in patients with higher vs. lower TR-AOEs (moderator). The H-CBT treatment was generally effective in relieving participants'' panic symptoms relative to controls. However, TR-AOEs interacted with study cohort (H-CBT vs. control) in predicting response to substance abuse treatment. As expected, the H-CBT was most effective in improving alcohol use outcomes among those with the highest TR-AOEs. The study''s primary methodological limitations are related to the quasi-experimental design employed. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Objective: Clinical practice and open-label studies suggest that quetiapine (an atypical anti-psychotic) might improve symptoms for individuals with social anxiety disorder (SAD). The purpose of this study was to provide a rigorous test of the acute impact of a single dose of quetiapine (25mg) on SAD symptoms. Method: Individuals with SAD (N =20) were exposed to a 4-min virtual reality (VR) public speaking challenge after having received quetiapine or placebo (double-blind) 1h earlier. A parallel VR challenge occurred 1 week later using a counter-balanced cross-over (within subject) design for the medication-placebo order between the two sessions. Result: There was no significant drug effect for quetiapine on the primary outcome measures. However, quetiapine was associated with significantly elevated heart rate and sleepiness compared with placebo. Conclusion: Study findings suggest that a single dose of 25mg quetiapine is not effective in alleviating SAD symptoms in individuals with fears of public speaking. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: We present a detailed account of a dieback episode in tropical rain forest. The dieback episode took place from 1977 to 1989 within a 0.5ha long-term demography plot monitored for stem growth and mortality from 1975 to 2005. In total 770m2 of rain forest was affected causing 13 trees >10cm diameter at breast height (dbh) to die, and others to sicken. The dead trees came from four families, though 14 families were represented in the area. Trees of the family Elaeocarpaceae suffered significantly higher mortality. Larger trees were significantly more likely to die than small trees, but smaller trees were more likely to recover. Recruitment to >10cm dbh size class after dieback was greater in areas that had been affected, and in 2005 stem density and basal area were higher than in 1977, before the dieback episode started. There were no significant trends in biodiversity change between affected and non-affected parts of the plot. Dieback may have dramatic effects at onset but over the medium term its impact appears to be less serious. Longer term monitoring will permit re-evaluation of this observation in the future. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Background: D-cycloserine (DCS), a glutamatergic partial N-methyl-d-aspartate (NMDA) agonist, can facilitate extinction learning related to cued fear in animals and humans. We predicted that DCS would accelerate obsession-related distress reduction in patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) undergoing extinction-based exposure therapy. Methods: We administered DCS (125 mg) or placebo in a double-blind fashion to individuals with OCD approximately 2 hours before each exposure session. Results: D-cycloserine decreased both the number of exposure sessions required to achieve clinical milestones and the rate of therapy dropout. After four exposure sessions, patients in the DCS group reported significantly greater decreases in obsession-related distress compared with the placebo group; however, after additional sessions, the placebo group tended to catch up. Conclusions: D-cycloserine augmentation has the potential to increase the efficiency, palatability, and overall effectiveness of standard exposure therapy for OCD. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The carbon dioxide (CO2) challenge paradigm has been useful for modeling panic in the laboratory. While showing promise as a technique able to promote a better understanding of the etiology of panic disorder (PD), this goal has been impeded by the lack of standardization of the challenge methodology and by uncertainty concerning the optimal definition and assessment of laboratory panic. The purpose of this paper is to highlight the impact of method variance on laboratory findings and to present recommendations for future challenge research. We begin by reviewing studies that have employed CO2 as a stimulus for panic provocation focusing on the status of key methodological parameters between the studies and the relationship of these parameters to findings. We then make pragmatic and theoretically-based recommendations concerning approaches to methodological standardization, the establishment of a valid laboratory panic definition and the desirability of using of additional outcome measures. We conclude that although further work is needed to improve the CO2 challenge laboratory model of panic, this paradigm can play an important role in understanding the psychopathology of PD. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: A high-throughput phytochemical investigation of Abronia villosa afforded a new rotenoid designated abronione (1) along with the known compounds boeravinone C and lupeol. The structure of 1 was determined using NMR, MS, and optical analysis with <400μg of material. Compound 1 displayed moderate cytotoxicity against NCI-H460 and HL-60 human cancer cell lines with IC50 values of 14 and 36μM, respectively. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract Diffusion-weighted MRI (dMRI) is a key component of clinical radiology. When analyzing diffusion-weighted images, radiologists often seek to infer microscopic tissue structure through measurements of the diffusion coefficient, D 0 (mm2/s). This multi-scale problem is framed by the creation of diffusion models of signal decay based on physical laws, histological structure, and biophysical constraints. The purpose of this paper is to simplify the model building process by focusing on the observed decay in the effective diffusion coefficient as a function of diffusion weighting (b -value), D (b), that is often observed in complex biological tissues. We call this approach the varying diffusion curvature (VDC) model. Since this is a heuristic model, the exact functional form of this decay is not important, so here we examine a simple exponential function, D (b) = D 0 exp (−bD 1), where D 0 and D 1 capture aspects of hindered and restricted diffusion, respectively. As an example of the potential of the VDC model, we applied it to dMRI data collected from normal and diseased human brain tissue using Stejskal-Tanner diffusion gradient pulses. In order to illustrate the connection between D 0 and D 1 and the sub-voxel structure we also analyzed dMRI data from families of Sephadex beads selected with increasing tortuosity. Finally, we applied the VDC model to dMRI simulations of nested muscle fiber phantoms whose permeability, atrophy, and fiber size distribution could be changed. These results demonstrate that the VDC model is sensitive to sub-voxel tissue structure and composition (porosity, tortuosity, and permeability), hence can capture tissue complexity in a manner that could be easily applied in clinical dMRI. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Although recognized for over 100 years, there is a relative dearth of empirical research on obsessive compulsive personality disorder (OCPD). The goal of the current study is to present nationally representative findings on prevalence, sociodemographic correlates, and comorbidity of OCPD among men and women. The current study uses nationally representative data to examine sociodemographic correlates and comorbidity of OCPD. Face-to-face interviews were conducted with 43,093 adults in the United States. The prevalence of lifetime OCPD was 7.8%, with rates the same for men and women. OCPD was significantly less common in younger adults and in Asians and Hispanics but was significantly more common in individuals with a high school education or less. When sociodemographic variables and other comorbidities were controlled for, current associations remained significant for all mood and anxiety disorders as well as lifetime personality disorders among both men and women. OCPD is a prevalent personality disorder in the US population and is equally represented in men and women. The results highlight the need for further research to identify common pathophysiological elements common to OCPD and associated disorders. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Nine clerodane diterpenes, solidagoic acids C-I (1–7), cleroda-3,13(14)-dien-16,15:18,19-diolide (8) and cleroda-3,13(14)-dien-15,16:18,19-diolide (9) were isolated and characterised from the ethanol–ethyl acetate (1:1) extract of Solidago virgaurea. The structures were determined by NMR spectroscopic analysis. Several displayed moderate antibacterial activity against Staphylococcus aureus. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Objective: Findings showing that individuals with panic disorder (PD) are prone to experience panic attacks when inhaling CO2-enriched air have given rise to the hypothesis that physiological systems underlying the experience of suffocation may be important in the etiology of PD. In this study, we tested several predictions stemming from this view. Methods: Forty individuals with PD and 32 controls underwent both a breath-holding challenge and a CO2 rebreathing challenge. A wide array of physiological and psychological responses, including continuous measurements of subjective suffocation, was recorded. Results: Individuals with PD experienced elevated physiological reactivity to both challenges and greater levels of suffocation sensations during the rebreathing challenge. Furthermore, PD individuals who experienced a panic attack in response to the rebreathing challenge exhibited faster but shallower breathing during the challenge than did other PD individuals. Conclusion: Findings are consistent with theories linking PD to hypersensitive brain systems underlying the experience of suffocation. The possibility that subjective suffocation was in part mediated by peripheral interoceptive disturbances (vs. brainstem dysregulation) is discussed. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Hot wall epitaxy works close to thermodynamic equilibrium and is therefore most applicable for materials with Van der Waals binding character. The hot wall epitaxy system can be described as semiclosed growth reactor, consisting of a vertically mounted quartz cylinder, which is heated by three separately controllable ovens, and is closed on top by the substrate. The first oven heats the source material and controls the growth rate. The second heats the hot wall between source and substrate, which guaranties the closed character of the reactor and helps to avoid loss of valuable material. The third oven controls the substrate temperature and allows to influence the growth process on the substrate surface.We achieved crystalline perfection for C60 layers on mica substrates and fabricated Ba-doped n-type layers with mobilities of 6000 cm2/V s at room temperature. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Context: Identifying high-value health care delivery for patients with clinically complex and high-cost conditions is important for future reimbursement models.Objectives: The objective of this study was to assess the Medicare reimbursement savings of an established palliative care homebound program.Methods: This is a retrospective cohort study involving 50 participants enrolled in a palliative care homebound program and 95 propensity-matched control patients at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, between September 1, 2012, and March 31, 2013. Total Medicare reimbursement was compared in the year before enrollment with the year after enrollment for participants and controls.Results: No significant differences were observed in demographic characteristics or prognostic indices between the two groups. Total Medicare reimbursement per program participant the year before program enrollment was $16,429 compared with $14,427 per control patient, resulting in $2004 higher charges per program patient. In 12 months after program enrollment, mean annual payment was $5783 per patient among participants and $22,031 per patient among the matched controls. In the second year, the intervention group had a decrease of $10,646 per patient; the control group had an increase of $7604 per patient. The difference between the participant group and control group was statistically significant (P < 0.001) and favored the palliative care homebound program enrollees by $18,251 (95% CI, $11,268-$25,234).Conclusion: The Mayo Clinic Palliative Care Homebound Program reduced annual Medicare expenditures by $18,251 per program participant compared with matched control patients. This supports the role of home-based palliative medicine in delivering high-value care to high-risk older adults. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The initial structure activity relationships around an isoindoline uHTS hit will be described. Information gleaned from ligand co-crystal structures allowed for rapid refinements in both MARK potency and kinase selectivity. These efforts allowed for the identification of a compound with properties suitable for use as an in vitro tool compound for validation studies on MARK as a viable target for Alzheimer's disease. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]