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Ishith Seth,1 Nimish Seth,2 Gabriella Bulloch,3 Warren M Rozen,4 David J Hunter-Smith4 1Department of Surgery, Bendigo Health, Bendigo, Victoria, 3550, Australia; 2Department of Surgery, The Alfred Hospital, Melbourne, Victoria, 3004, Australia; 3Faculty of Science, Medicine and Health, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria, 3010, Australia; 4Peninsula Clinical School, Central Clinical School at Monash University, The Alfred Centre, Melbourne, Victoria, 3004, AustraliaCorrespondence: David J Hunter-SmithPeninsula Clinical School, Central Clinical School at Monash University, The Alfred Centre, 99 Commercial Road, Melbourne, Victoria, 3004, AustraliaTel +610359763522Fax +610359763544Email dhuntersmith@mac.comPurpose: The aim of this systematic review is to update and synthesize new evidence on BREAST-Q questionnaire’s ability to reflect patient-reported outcomes in women who have undergone breast reconstruction surgery (BRS) following mastectomy.Methods: PubMed, Science Direct, Google Scholar, Cochrane CENTRAL, and Clincaltrial.gov were searched for relevant studies from January 2009 to September 2021. Any interventional or observational studies that used BREAST-Q to assess patient-reported outcomes in the assessment of BRS following mastectomy were included.Results: A total of 42 studies were eligible for inclusion in the review. Three were randomized controlled trials and 39 were observational studies. Compared with pre-operative scores, there was an improvement in all BREAST-Q outcome domains following BRS including ‘satisfaction with breasts’, “satisfaction with outcome” “psychosocial”, “physical”, and “sexual wellbeing”. Sexual well-being had the lowest BREAST-Q score both pre-and post-operatively (37.8– 80.0 and 39.0– 78.0, respectively). Autologous BRS reports higher satisfaction and overall wellbeing compared to implant-based BRS. BREAST-Q has a higher and narrow internal consistency of 0.81 to 0.96 compared with other patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs; EORTC-QLQ, FACT-B, BR-23, BCTOS). The BREAST-Q questionnaire is the only PROM which allows patients to reflect on their care, surgical outcomes, and satisfaction collectively.Conclusion: This review highlights the fact that BREAST-Q can effectively and reliably measure satisfaction and wellbeing of breast cancer patients after BRS. Comparatively, sexual wellbeing shows poorer outcomes following BRS and more longitudinal studies are necessary to understand the basis for these findings. Compared to other PROMs, BREAST-Q is reliable and specific to breast cancer surgery. Overall, BREAST-Q can help clinicians improve their quality of service, understand patient experiences, and may be used as an auditing tool for surgical outcomes.Keywords: BREAST-Q, patient-reported outcomes, breast reconstruction surgery, mastectomy

Byline: DJ Smith (Department of Psychological Medicine, School of Medicine, Cardiff University, Cardiff, UK, smithdj3@cardiff.ac.uk); SN Ghaemi (Bipolar Disorders Research Program, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA.); N. Craddock (Department of [...]

Objectives We established a subcohort of HIV-positive individuals from 10 sexual health clinics within the Australian HIV Observational Database ( AHOD). The aim of this study was to assess demographic and other factors that might be associated with an incident sexually transmitted infection ( STI). Methods The cohort follow-up was from March 2010 to March 2013, and included patients screened at least once for an STI. We used survival methods to determine time to first new and confirmed incident STI infection (chlamydia, gonorrhoea, syphilis or genital warts). Factors evaluated included sex, age, mode of HIV exposure, year of AHOD enrolment, hepatitis B or C coinfection, time-updated CD4 cell count, time-updated HIV RNA viral load, and prior STI diagnosis. Results There were 110 first incident STI diagnoses observed over 1015 person-years of follow-up, a crude rate of 10.8 [95% confidence interval ( CI) 9.0-13.0] per 100 person-years. Factors independently associated with increased risk of incident STI included younger age [≥ 50 vs. 30-39 years old, adjusted hazards ratio ( aHR) 0.4; 95% CI 0.2-0.8; P < 0.0001]; prior STI infection ( aHR 2.5; 95% CI 1.6-3.8; P < 0.001), and heterosexual vs. men who have sex with men ( MSM) as the likely route of exposure ( aHR 0.2; 95% CI 0.1-0.6; P < 0.001). Conclusions In this cohort of individualsbeing treated with antiretroviral drugs, those who were MSM, who were 30-39 years old, and who had a prior history of STI, were at highest risk of a further STI diagnosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Byline: DJ Smith (Department of Psychological Medicine, School of Medicine, Cardiff University, Cardiff, UK, SmithDJ3@Cardiff.ac.uk); SN Ghaemi (Bipolar Disorders Research Program, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA); N Craddock (Department of [...]

Violence impacts the lives of children on a daily basis. In their communities, they witness drive-by shootings, drug deals, and violence in their schools while many endure abuse, neglect, and violent behavior in their homes. Because the traumatizing impact of such exposure disrupts a child's ability to concentrate and learn, the Dallas Independent School District (ISD) sought content expertise to develop a training vehicle for school district professionals. The program aimed to raise the awareness of educators to problems related to domestic violence and the myriad of circumstances at home and in the community that lead to exposure to violence. Approximately 15,000 faculty and staff of Dallas ISD were educated in the identification, intervention, and prevention of exposure to violence. Referrals and inquiries related to abuse have increased (approximately 70%) while the city of Dallas has witnessed a drop in the number of domestic violence and child abuse offenses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The broad clinical spectrum of bipolar disorder is under-diagnosed and may affect up to 5% of the population. In recent years, several instruments have been developed to aid screening, diagnosis and research into bipolar spectrum disorders. Here we review the strengths and limitations of these instruments, which include the Mood Disorder Questionnaire (MDQ), the Hypomania Checklist (HCL-32) and the Bipolar Spectrum Diagnostic Scale (BSDS). We focus on the potential use of these instruments in primary care and community psychiatric settings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Wound dressings containing silver as antimicrobial agents are available in various forms and formulations; however, little is understood concerning their comparative efficacy as antimicrobial agents. Eight commercially available silver-containing dressings, Acticoat((R)) 7, Acticoat((R)) Moisture Control, Acticoat((R)) Absorbent, Silverceltrade mark, Aquacel((R)) Ag, Contreet((R)) F, Urgotol((R)) SSD and Actisorb((R)), were tested to determine their comparative antimicrobial effectiveness in vitro and compared against three commercially available topical antimicrobial creams, a non treatment control, and a topical silver-containing antimicrobial gel, Silvasorb((R)). Zone of inhibition and quantitative testing was performed by standard methods using Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Streptococcus faecalis and Staphylococcus aureus. Results showed all silver dressings and topical antimicrobials displayed antimicrobial activity. Silver-containing dressings with the highest concentrations of silver exhibited the strongest bacterial inhibitive properties. Concreet((R)) F and the Acticoat((R)) dressings tended to have greater antimicrobial activity than did the others. Topical antimicrobial creams, including silver sulfadiazine, Sulfamylon and gentamicin sulfate, and the topical antimicrobial gel Silvasorb((R)) exhibited superior bacterial inhibition and bactericidal properties, essentially eliminating all bacterial growth at 24 hours. Silver-containing dressings are likely to provide a barrier to and treatment for infection; however, their bactericidal and bacteriostatic properties are inferior to commonly used topical antimicrobial agents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

OBJECTIVE: Leukocyte traffic from the blood to the joints is crucial in the pathogenesis of arthritis. A bifunctional endothelial cell-surface glycoprotein, AOC3 (amine oxidase, copper-containing 3; also known as vascular adhesion protein 1), has both adhesive and enzymatic properties. We undertook this study to determine the contribution of AOC3 and its oxidase activity to leukocyte trafficking into inflamed joints in vivo. METHODS: We used gene-modified animals, molecular modeling, an AOC3 enzyme inhibitor, oxidase assays, and arthritis models (adjuvant-induced arthritis [AIA] in rats and anti-type II collagen antibody-induced arthritis in mice) to dissect the importance of AOC3 in vivo. RESULTS: The AOC3 inhibitor fitted well with a covalent binding mode into the active site of the AOC3 crystal structure. It selectively blocked the oxidase activity of AOC3 in enzyme assays. Intraperitoneal and oral administration of the AOC3 inhibitor significantly ameliorated rat AIA. In anti-type II collagen antibody-induced arthritis in mice, the AOC3 inhibitor also improved the outcome of the joint inflammation. The acute semicarbazide-sensitive amine oxidase blockade by the inhibitor had even more pronounced effects than genetic deletion of AOC3. Enzymatic analyses showed that the inhibitor also blocked 2 other structurally very closely related AOCs, but not any of more than 100 other enzymes tested. CONCLUSION: These are the first data to demonstrate that the enzymatic activity of the atypical endothelial adhesion molecule AOC3, and possibly that of other closely related ecto-oxidases, is crucial for leukocyte exit from the vessels in inflamed joints in vivo. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Certified Rehabilitation Counselors (CRCs) were surveyed regarding the importance of Spiritual Transcendence in their own lives and their willingness to introduce and address Spiritual Transcendence in counseling sessions. A sample of 35 CRCs responded to a 16-item instrument that included Piedmont's Spiritual Transcendence Scale-Short Form (Piedmont, 2004a). Additional survey items were developed to investigate rehabilitation counselor willingness to integrate Spirituality into their counseling sessions with clients. Results indicated that CRCs scored higher than the average range (in comparison to the normative sample) on the importance of Spiritual Transcendence in their own lives. Further, they were neutral (neither for nor against) introducing issues of Spiritual Transcendence in either individual or group counseling sessions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Because bull riding is one of the most dangerous of extreme sports, it is very important to make efforts to improve the safety and the performance of its participants. A strength and general physical fitness program will better prepare riders for the demands of bull riding. The purpose of this paper is to de-scribe the physiological demands of bull riding and to introduce a periodized strength and general fitness model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND: In patients with schizophrenia, passivity delusions are characterized by a difficulty in determining the agency of purposive actions. Neuropsychological and functional neuroimaging data suggest that passivity delusions are associated with dysfunction of the parietal lobe association cortex. METHOD: Cortical volume calculated from magnetic resonance imaging data in a group of 12 patients with schizophrenia characterized by motor passivity delusions was compared statistically with the cortical volume of 11 patients without passivity delusions. RESULTS: Reduced cortical volume was observed in parietal and frontal association cortices in the passivity group. CONCLUSIONS: These data provide direct evidence for the involvement of the parietal lobe in the pathophysiology of passivity delusions in schizophrenia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this article is to provide a critical commentary of the physiological and psychological tools used in the evaluation of swimmers. The first-level evaluation should be the competitive performance itself, since it is at this juncture that all elements interplay and provide the 'highest form' of assessment. Competition video analysis of major swimming events has progressed to the point where it has become an indispensable tool for coaches, athletes, sport scientists, equipment manufacturers, and even the media. The breakdown of each swimming performance at the individual level to its constituent parts allows for comparison with the predicted or sought after execution, as well as allowing for comparison with identified world competition levels. The use of other 'on-going' monitoring protocols to evaluate training efficacy typically involves criterion 'effort' swims and specific training sets where certain aspects are scrutinised in depth. Physiological parameters that are often examined alongside swimming speed and technical aspects include oxygen uptake, heart rate, blood lactate concentration, blood lactate accumulation and clearance rates. Simple and more complex procedures are available for in-training examination of technical issues. Strength and power may be quantified via several modalities although, typically, tethered swimming and dry-land isokinetic devices are used. The availability of a 'swimming flume' does afford coaches and sport scientists a higher degree of flexibility in the type of monitoring and evaluation that can be undertaken. There is convincing evidence that athletes can be distinguished on the basis of their psychological skills and emotional competencies and that these differences become further accentuated as the athlete improves. No matter what test format is used (physiological, biomechanical or psychological), similar criteria of validity must be ensured so that the test provides useful and associative information concerning current or future performance. The practical worth of any proposed testing or monitoring protocol should be carefully evaluated. In addition, the developmental stage of the athlete(s) in question should be reflected in the testing/monitoring programme. Finally, increasing technological innovations will bring to the pool deck or dry-land training area simple, fast and advanced diagnostic tools, particularly in the areas of blood-borne markers of training response and neuromuscular excitability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

For elders living in the community who need assistance, most care is provided by family and friends. For many family caregivers this is a rewarding experience. For others, caregiving can be stressful. Few therapeutic services to help caregivers are available in the home, are flexible to caregiving time demands, support the time caregivers need for themselves or provide opportunities for joint activities for caregivers and care recipients. A Caregiver Horticulture Program is presented which addresses all of these needs. The components of the program are described, along with strategies for successful intervention. Finally, two case studies demonstrate implementation of the program. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Extended abstract of a paper presented at Microscopy and Microanalysis 2009 in Richmond, Virginia, USA, July 26 – July 30, 2009 [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Extended abstract of a paper presented at Microscopy and Microanalysis 2009 in Richmond, Virginia, USA, July 26 – July 30, 2009 [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Extended abstract of a paper presented at Microscopy and Microanalysis 2009 in Richmond, Virginia, USA, July 26 – July 30, 2009 [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

We have previously described that tissue transglutaminase (tTG) is a high level phenotypic biomarker in prostate cancer, which is down regulated in prostate cancer and surrounding premalignant field compared to benign prostate glands. To understand the function of tTG in prostate cancer, we sought to identify proteins that interact with the transglutaminase moiety of tTG using a human prostate cancer complementary deoxyribonucleic acid library in a Yeast 2-Hybrid system. The Yeast 2-Hybrid experiments identified a strong and novel interaction between the transglutaminase moiety and protein kinase A anchor protein 13 (AKAP13), which was quantified by beta-galactosidase assay, confirmed in vitro by immunoprecipitation experiments using PC3 prostate cancer cell lysates, and in vivo colocalization was confirmed by immunofluorescence studies in PC3 cells. Because AKAP plays a major role in protein kinase A and Rho protein mediated signaling, functional studies are underway to elucidate the significance of tTG-AKAP13 interaction in prostate cancer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]