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Smartwatches are a type of wearable device that enable continuous monitoring of an individual's activities and critical health metrics. As the number of older adults age 65+ continues to grow in the U.S. so does their usage of smartwatches, making it necessary to understand the real-world uptake and use of these devices to monitor health. In this study, older adults with a relatively high level of education and digital skills were provided with a smartwatch equipped with a mobile application (ROAMM) that was worn for a median of 14 days. Usability surveys were distributed, and a qualitative analysis was performed about participants' experience using the smartwatch and ROAMM application. Constructs from the Technology Acceptance Model and Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research were incorporated into in-depth interviews, which were recorded and transcribed. Data were analyzed using the constant comparative method. Interviews among 30 older adults revealed the following main themes: 1) familiarization with the device and adoption and acceptance, 2) factors encouraging usage, such as a doctor's endorsement or the appeal of tracking one's health, and 3) barriers to usage, such as insufficient education and training and the desire for additional functionality. Overall, participants found the smartwatch easy to use and were likely to continue using the device in a long-term study. Data generated from smartwatches have the potential to engage individuals about their health and could inspire them to participate more actively during clinical encounters. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Interest is growing at the precollege level in computer testing (CT) instead of paper-and-pencil testing (PT) for subjects in the school curriculum, including economics. Before economic educators adopt CT, a better understanding of its likely effects on test-taking behavior and performance compared with PT is needed. Using two volunteer student samples of CT and PT test scores collected as part of the field testing and national norming of the "Test of Economic Knowledge" (Walstad, Rebeck, and Butters 2010), the present authors investigated how CT and PT affect student test responses. The authors found that eighth- and ninth-grade students perform better with CT than PT, that CT has the potential to limit item guessing, and that CT may reduce item bias from the order of item placement on a test. (Contains 1 figure, 1 table, and 2 notes.)

While the Minimum Data Set (MDS) 3.0 has adopted Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ)-9 to screen for depression and rephrased language for behavioral symptoms among nursing home residents, it remains unclear how well the assessment data agree with medical records. Using a retrospective review of MDS 3.0 linked to medical records between October 2010 and November 2017, we included residents with at least one quarterly or short-term (day 30 or day 60) MDS 3.0 assessment of depression PHQ-9 (n = 446) or behavioral symptoms (n = 460). For each resident of each cohort, we randomly selected an eligible MDS 3.0 depression and behavioral symptom assessment and compared against the respective medical diagnoses recorded within 30 days before the MDS 3.0 assessment. Percent agreement was high for depression (90.1%) and behavioral symptoms (89.3%). Negative agreement was high for depression (94.8%) and behavioral symptoms (94.3%), while positive agreement was low for both conditions (4.3% and 10.9%). MDS 3.0 depression and behavioral symptoms had high overall and negative agreement, but low positive agreement with clinician diagnoses. MDS 3.0 data may be useful in ruling out depression and behavioral symptoms. Confirmation of the findings in a representative sample of nursing homes is warranted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective The present study aimed to determine whether specific cognitive domains part of the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) are significantly lower in community-dwelling older adults with chronic pain compared with older adults without pain and whether these domains would be associated with self-reported pain, disability, and somatosensory function. Design Secondary data analysis, cross-sectional. Setting University of Florida. Subjects Individuals over 60 years old enrolled in the Neuromodulatory Examination of Pain and mobility Across the Lifespan (NEPAL) study were included if they completed the MoCA and other study measures (n = 62). Most participants reported pain on most days during the past three months (63%). Methods Subjects underwent a health assessment (HAS) and a quantitative sensory testing (QST) session. Health/medical history, cognitive function and self-reported pain measures were administered during the HAS. Mechanical and thermal detection, and thermal pain thresholds were assessed during the QST session. Results Older adults with chronic pain had lower MoCA scores compared with controls on domains of executive function, attention, memory, and language (P  < 0.05). The attention and language domains survived adjustments for age, sex, education, depression, and pain duration (P  < 0.05). Attention was significantly associated with all pain characteristics including pain intensity and disability, while executive function was associated with mechanical detection (P  < 0.05). Conclusion Our results support previous findings that individuals with chronic pain tend to show poorer cognitive functioning compared with pain-free controls in domains of attention and executive function. Our findings also extend these findings to community-dwelling older adults, who are already most vulnerable to age-related cognitive declines. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses the opioid epidemic in Florida in 2000-2017. Topics include the number of deaths due to heroin and synthetic drugs like oxycodone, hydrocodone, fentanyl, and methadone, the enactment of the Florida Comprehensive Drug Abuse Prevention and Control Act, and the data gathered by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE) on drug-related deaths.

Osteoarthritis (OA) is the most common cause of pain in people aged > 45 years, and the knee is the most commonly affected joint. There is a growing interest in understanding the biological factors that influence pain among older adults, but few studies have examined the relationship between β-endorphin and experimental pain sensitivity in older adults with knee OA pain. The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between resting plasma levels of β-endorphin and experimental pain sensitivity. This study was a secondary analysis of data for 40 adults with knee OA pain in whom quantitative sensory testing was used to measure experimental sensitivity to heat- and mechanically induced pain. The mean age of the sample was 60 years (SD = 9 years), and approximately half were female (53%). Regression analyses indicated that β-endorphin level was negatively related to pressure pain threshold (β = −17.18, p =.02) and positively related to punctate mechanical pain (β = 17.13, p =.04), after controlling for age, gender, and OA severity. We did not find a significant relationship between β-endorphin and heat pain tolerance. The results suggest that higher circulating levels of β-endorphin at rest are associated with increased sensitivity to mechanical pain in older adults with knee OA. These findings add to the literature regarding biological factors associated with pain sensitivity in older adults with chronic pain. Additional studies are needed to identify mediators of the relationship between β-endorphin and pain sensitivity in OA and other musculoskeletal pain conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Given their ability to process highly dimensional datasets with hundreds of variables, machine learning algorithms may offer one solution to the vexing challenge of predicting postoperative pain. Methods Here, we report on the application of machine learning algorithms to predict postoperative pain outcomes in a retrospective cohort of 8,071 surgical patients using 796 clinical variables. Five algorithms were compared in terms of their ability to forecast moderate to severe postoperative pain: Least Absolute Shrinkage and Selection Operator (LASSO), gradient-boosted decision tree, support vector machine, neural network, and k-nearest neighbor (k-NN), with logistic regression included for baseline comparison. Results In forecasting moderate to severe postoperative pain for postoperative day (POD) 1, the LASSO algorithm, using all 796 variables, had the highest accuracy with an area under the receiver-operating curve (ROC) of 0.704. Next, the gradient-boosted decision tree had an ROC of 0.665 and the k-NN algorithm had an ROC of 0.643. For POD 3, the LASSO algorithm, using all variables, again had the highest accuracy, with an ROC of 0.727. Logistic regression had a lower ROC of 0.5 for predicting pain outcomes on POD 1 and 3. Conclusions Machine learning algorithms, when combined with complex and heterogeneous data from electronic medical record systems, can forecast acute postoperative pain outcomes with accuracies similar to methods that rely only on variables specifically collected for pain outcome prediction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective/Background Prior work has not addressed sex differences in the incidence of severe postoperative pain episodes. The goal of this study was to examine sex differences in clinical postoperative pain scores across an array of surgical procedures using direct comparisons of numeric rating scale pain scores as well as using the incidence of severe pain events ( SPEs). Design/Setting Retrospective cohort study of over 300,000 clinical pain score observations recorded from adult patients undergoing nonambulatory surgery at a tertiary care academic medical center over a 1-year period. Methods/Patients To test the hypothesis that the number of SPE on postoperative day ( POD) 1 differed by sex after controlling for procedure, we calculated Cochran- Mantel- Haenszel statistics of sex by count of SPE, controlling for type of surgery. Assessment Tools/Outcomes Pain scores were collected from clinical nursing records where they were documented using the numeric rating scale. Results In female patients, 10,989 (25.09%) of 43,806 POD 1 pain scores were considered SPE compared with 10,786 (22.45%) of 48,055 POD 1 pain scores in male patients. This produced an overall odds ratio of 1.16 (99% confidence interval 1.11-1.20) for females vs males to report an SPE for a pain score on POD 1. Estimates of the odds that a given pain observation represents an SPE for female vs male patients after controlling for type of surgery yielded an odds ratio of 1.14 (99% confidence interval, 1.10-1.19). Conclusion Female patients experience greater mean pain scores, as well as a higher incidence of SPE, on POD 1 for a variety of surgical procedures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective. Knee osteoarthritis (OA) contributes significantly to disability in older individuals, and racial/ethnic minorities are disproportionately affected. The present study aimed to characterize differences in clinical and experimental pain, including pain inhibition, among older African American (AA) and non-Hispanic white (NHW) subjects with knee OA. Methods. AA and NHW subjects with knee OA (n = 267) completed clinical and functional pain assessments, including quantitative sensory testing (QST). We hypothesized that, when compared to NHW subjects, AA subjects would display 1) lower pain tolerance and higher ratings of heat-, mechanical-, and cold-induced pain, 2) greater temporal summation of pain, 3) reduced pain inhibition, and 4) greater clinical pain and poorer function. In addition, we hypothesized that the findings from QST would significantly predict the severity of clinical pain within each race/ethnicity. Results. AA subjects with knee OA displayed increased pain sensitivity, greater temporal summation, and reduced pain inhibition when compared to NHW subjects with knee OA. Moreover, AA subjects reported greater clinical pain and poorer function. Racial/ethnic differences in clinical pain became nonsignificant when the analyses were controlled for education and annual income, whereas differences in QST findings remained highly significant. Although the extent of pain inhibition predicted the severity of clinical pain in both groups, different QST measures were additionally predictive of clinical pain within each group. Conclusion. The results of this study establish that there are racial/ethnic differences in experimental and clinical pain and function in older individuals with knee OA. Our findings indicating that different QST measures were associated with clinical pain within the 2 racial/ethnic groups, whereas reduced pain inhibition was important in all participants, warrant further study in order to elucidate the common and group-specific pathophysiologic mechanisms contributing to clinical pain in OA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article examines three environmental laws in Florida that the attorney general can use to protect the environment. The article provides details about the Environmental Protection Act of 1971, the Florida Air and Water Pollution Control Act, and the F.S. §60.05 which allows for action to abate a nuisance. It is suggested that the attorney general can use these laws to protect against the pollution of air and water in Florida.

As fertility differences in the United States diminish, population redistribution trends are increasingly dependent on migration. This research used newly developed county-level age-specific net migration estimates for the 1990s, supplemented with longitudinal age-specific migration data spanning the prior 40 years, to ascertain whether there are clear longitudinal trends in age-specific net migration and to determine if there is spatial clustering in the migration patterns. The analysis confirmed the continuation into the 1990s of distinct net migration "signature patterns" for most types of counties, although there was temporal variation in the overall volume of migration across the five decades. A spatial autocorrelation analysis revealed large, geographically contiguous regions of net in-migration (in particular, Florida and the Southwest) and geographically contiguous regions of net out-migration (the Great Plains, in particular) that persisted over time. Yet the patterns of spatial concentration and fragmentation over time in these migration data demonstrate the relevance of this "neighborhood" approach to understanding spatiotemporal change in migration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Discusses the area-wide planning effort in Bay County, Florida in connection with the proposed Panama City-Bay County International Airport. Alternative strategies for area-wide planning; Importance of public participation in the development of long-range vision plan; Details on the sector planning process authorized by the Florida Statutes.

Background: The primary goal of this study was to evaluate patterns in acute postoperative pain in a mixed surgical patient cohort with the hypothesis that there would be heterogeneity in these patterns.Methods: This study included 360 patients from a mixed surgical cohort whose pain was measured across postoperative days 1 through 7. Pain was characterized using the Brief Pain Inventory. Primary analysis used group-based trajectory modeling to estimate trajectories/patterns of postoperative pain. Secondary analysis examined associations between sociodemographic, clinical, and behavioral patient factors and pain trajectories.Results: Five distinct postoperative pain trajectories were identified. Many patients (167 of 360, 46%) were in the moderate-to-high pain group, followed by the moderate-to-low (88 of 360, 24%), high (58 of 360, 17%), low (25 of 360, 7%), and decreasing (21 of 360, 6%) pain groups. Lower age (odds ratio, 0.94; 95% CI, 0.91 to 0.99), female sex (odds ratio, 6.5; 95% CI, 1.49 to 15.6), higher anxiety (odds ratio, 1.08; 95% CI, 1.01 to 1.14), and more pain behaviors (odds ratio, 1.10; 95% CI, 1.02 to 1.18) were related to increased likelihood of being in the high pain trajectory in multivariable analysis. Preoperative and intraoperative opioids were not associated with postoperative pain trajectories. Pain trajectory group was, however, associated with postoperative opioid use (P < 0.001), with the high pain group (249.5 oral morphine milligram equivalents) requiring four times more opioids than the low pain group (60.0 oral morphine milligram equivalents).Conclusions: There are multiple distinct acute postoperative pain intensity trajectories, with 63% of patients reporting stable and sustained high or moderate-to-high pain over the first 7 days after surgery. These postoperative pain trajectories were predominantly defined by patient factors and not surgical factors.Editor’s Perspective: [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: The Florida-California Cancer Research, Education, and Engagement (CaRE 2 ) Health Equity Center is a triad partnership committed to increasing institutional capacity for cancer disparity research, the diversity of the cancer workforce, and community empowerment. This article provides an overview of the structure, process innovations, and initial outcomes from the first 4 years of the CaRE 2 triad partnership., Methods: CaRE 2 serves diverse populations in Florida and California using a "molecule to the community and back" model. We prioritize research on the complex intersection of biological, environmental, and social determinants health, working together with scientific and health disparities communities, sharing expertise across institutions, bidirectional training, and community outreach. Partnership progress and outcomes were assessed using mixed methods and four Program Steering Committee meetings., Results: Research capacity was increased through development of a Living Repository of 81 cancer model systems from minority patients for novel cancer drug development. CaRE 2 funded 15 scientific projects resulting in 38 publications. Workforce diversity entailed supporting 94 cancer trainees (92 URM) and 34 ESIs (32 URM) who coauthored 313 CaRE 2 -related publications and received 48 grants. Community empowerment was promoted via outreaching to more than 3000 individuals, training 145 community cancer advocates (including 28 Community Scientist Advocates), and publishing 10 community reports. CaRE 2 members and trainees together have published 639 articles, received 61 grants, and 57 awards., Conclusion: The CaRE 2 partnership has achieved its initial aims. Infrastructure for translational cancer research was expanded at one partner institution, and cancer disparities research was expanded at the two cancer centers.

Chronic pain following cancer-related treatment is emerging as a major concern. Heretofore, the pain level among 5-year survivors of head and neck cancer has received limited attention. This study proposes a predictive model for understanding factors associated with the elevated levels of chronic oral pain. Cancer survivors were drawn from a pool of 5-year survivors. A listed sample matched on sex, age, and zip code was purchased and served as a comparison group. Telephone interviews were conducted by a professional call center. Oral pain levels and the presence of metallic taste phantoms were significantly higher in the cancer survivor group than among the comparison group. The prevalence of chronic oral pain among the 5-year survivors was 43% compared to 13% for the comparison group. Hierarchical linear regression showed that among the 5-year survivors, the predictive model for spontaneous pain accounted for 24% of the variance, and for function-related pain the model accounted for 34% of the variance, with the presence of a phantom metallic taste making a significant independent contribution in both models. In the function-related pain model, depression and level of oral function quality of life (QOL) made significant independent contributions. The presence of oral pain is a significant problem among head and neck cancer survivors. The presence of metallic phantoms is an important new piece of evidence suggesting neural damage following cancer-directed treatment. Routine assessment of oral pain levels could improve current analgesic approaches among head and neck cancer survivors.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to evaluate factors affecting birth charges in twin pregnancies., Study Design: Clinical and financial data were obtained on 1486 twin pregnancies delivered between 1995 to 2002 at medical centers in Maryland, Florida, Michigan, and South Carolina. Maternal and neonatal length of stay (LOS) and charges were modeled by gestational age and other risk factors using a general linear model., Results: Maternal and infant birth admission LOS and charges increased significantly with a decline in gestational age. Maternal LOS and charges were also significantly increased by cesarean delivery and preeclampsia. Newborn LOS and charges increased significantly by monochorionicity and slowed growth between 20 to 28 weeks. For mother and infants, the shortest LOS and lowest birth charges were at 37 to 38 weeks., Conclusion: These findings reflect the substantial maternal and neonatal morbidity associated with twin pregnancies, and demonstrate that 37 to 38 weeks is their optimal gestation.