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Aim: We sought to determine if opioid exposure may have a detrimental effect on the course of Clostridioides difficile infection (CDI). Materials & methods: We compared opioid exposure in patients with well-defined severe CDI and non-severe CDI. Results: Following exclusions, 403 records were reviewed. Of this group, 128/403 (31.7%) were determined to have severe CDI by strict criteria, and 275/403 (68.3%) were found to have non-severe CDI. Full multivariate regression and reduced model of potential predictors for severe CDI showed no association with opioids prescribed. Conclusion: Opioid exposure (predominantly in modest range) does not appear to be a risk factor for severe healthcare-associated CDI.

AIM: We sought to determine if opioid exposure may have a detrimental effect on the course of Clostridioides difficile infection (CDI). MATERIALS & METHODS: We compared opioid exposure in patients with well-defined severe CDI and non-severe CDI. RESULTS: Following exclusions, 403 records were reviewed. Of this group, 128/403 (31.7%) were determined to have severe CDI by strict criteria, and 275/403 (68.3%) were found to have non-severe CDI. Full multivariate regression and reduced model of potential predictors for severe CDI showed no association with opioids prescribed. CONCLUSION: Opioid exposure (predominantly in modest range) does not appear to be a risk factor for severe healthcare-associated CDI.

Summary Study aim: Research suggests that physical activity rates decline sharply after high school. The pattern of activity or inactivity during college tends to persist into adulthood. A critical need exists for examination of strategies to engage college-age students in physical activity habits. One way to do this is through physical activity courses offered in colleges. This study examines the relationship between perceptions of a caring psychological climate and group connectedness, enjoyment, and attitudes toward classmates and the instructor in group physical activity courses. Material and methods: Participants were 174 students (107 males and 67 females; Mage = 21.71) enrolled in exercise, martial arts, and sports courses at a large university in the Mountain West. Results: Perceptions of a caring climate were significantly related to enhanced feelings of group connectedness, heightened enjoyment, and more positive attitudes toward classmates and instructor. Discussion: These findings suggest that a strategy to foster engagement in physical activity courses on campus is to train instructors to value, support, and welcome students.

Objectives Research suggests promoting task-involving dance climates is beneficial to well-being (Quested & Duda, 2009, 2010). Likewise, caring climates are integral to optimizing well-being ( Fry et al., 2012 ). However, perceptions of a caring climate have not been examined in dance studios and little is known about the relationship between perceptions of a broader climate and aspects of psychological well-being. This study examined the relationship between perceptions of the social psychological climate (task-involving, ego-involving, and caring) and aspects of psychological well-being (positive and negative affect, body-esteem, and teacher and peer friendship quality) in adolescent dancers. Design Cross-sectional correlational design. Method Eighty-three female dancers ( M age = 16.28 ± .93) self-reported well-being and perceptions of their studio's dance climate. Results Perceptions of task-involving and caring climates were related to better positive affect, body-esteem, and relationships with teachers and peers ( r range: .33–.68). Two climate cluster profiles emerged: a Positive Climate ( n = 57) with lower ego-involving and greater task-involving and caring climate perceptions and a Mixed Climate ( n = 26) with higher ego-involving and lesser task-involving and caring climate perceptions. MANOVA revealed significant differences ( V = 0.266, F (6, 76) = 4.59, p Positive Climate cluster reported greater body esteem, more friends, and less negative affect than dancers in the Mixed Climate cluster. Conclusions Promoting a task-involving and caring climate and de-emphasizing an ego-involving climate is an effective strategy for promoting well-being in dancers.

Objectives The purpose of this investigation was to examine adolescent athletes' injury recovery and return-to-sport experiences. Given previous research highlighting competence, autonomy, and relatedness concerns among returning athletes ( Podlog & Eklund, 2006 ), we sought to examine the extent to which basic psychological needs theory (BPNT: Ryan & Deci, 2007 ) could be used as framework for interpreting the research findings. Design A qualitative design was employed in the present investigation. Method Eleven Australian athletes ( M age = 15.3) who had incurred a range of severe injuries (e.g., anterior cruciate ligament tears, shoulder dislocations) were interviewed on 2–3 occasions ( n = 27 interviews) spanning an 11-month period. Results Analysis of the data revealed the following four key themes: (a) injury stress, (b) coping strategies, (c) experiences with social support, and (d) recovery outcomes. Injury stress provides insights into a range of stressors and strain responses reported by the adolescents across the recovery phases, while the theme on coping highlights the specific strategies used to maintain motivation, reduce uncertainties associated with the injury experience, and to keep focused on future athletic attainment. The third theme, experiences with social support, considers the transactions the adolescents held with members of their social network throughout their recovery. The final theme, recovery outcomes, describes participant perceptions of a successful/unsuccessful recovery and stress-related growth. Conclusions Results suggest that competence and relatedness issues highlighted in BPNT may be relevant in exploring adolescent athletes' injury experience. Somewhat less evidence for the autonomy dimension of BPNT was apparent in adolescent comments.

Anterograde tracing with the carbocyanine tracer DiI and the aminostyrol derivative DiA was used to selectively label fibers from the nucleus ambiguus, dorsal motor nucleus and nodose ganglion, respectively, terminating in the rat esophagus, and to compare them with the innervation of the gastric fundus in the same animals. Ambiguus neurons terminated on motor endplates distributed mainly to the ipsilateral half of the esophagus. There was no evidence of preganglionic innervation of myenteric ganglia from ambiguus neurons. Neurons of the dorsal motor nucleus supplied sparse fibers to only about 10% of enteric ganglia in the esophagus while they innervated up to 100% of myenteric ganglia in the stomach. Neurons of the nodose ganglion terminated profusely on more than 90% of myenteric ganglia of the esophagus and on about 50% of ganglia in the stomach. Afferent vagal fibers were also frequently found in smooth muscle layers starting at the esophago-gastric junction. In contrast, they were extremely rare in the striated muscle part of the esophagus. These morphological data suggest a minor influence of neurons of the dorsal motor nucleus and a prominent influence of vagal afferent terminals onto myenteric neurons in the rat esophagus.