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Objective: To increase teen seat belt use among drivers at a rural high school by implementing the Drive Alive Pilot Program (DAPP), a theory-driven intervention built on highway safety best practices.Methods: The first component of the program was 20 observational teen seat belt surveys conducted by volunteer students in a high school parking lot over a 38-month period before and after the month-long intervention. The survey results were published in the newspaper. The second component was the use of incentives, such as gift cards, to promote teen seat belt use. The third component involved disincentives, such as increased police patrol and school policies. The fourth component was a programmatic intervention that focused on education and media coverage of the DAPP program.Results: Eleven pre-intervention surveys and nine post-intervention surveys were conducted before and after the intervention. The pre- and post-intervention seat belt usage showed significant differences (p

Maladaptive changes of nerve injury-associated genes in dorsal root ganglia (DRGs) are critical for neuropathic pain genesis. Emerging evidence supports the role of long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) in regulating gene transcription. Here we identified a conserved lncRNA, named nerve injury-specific lncRNA (NIS-lncRNA) for its upregulation in injured DRGs exclusively in response to nerve injury. This upregulation was triggered by nerve injury-induced increase in DRG ELF1, a transcription factor that bound to the NIS-lncRNA promoter. Blocking this upregulation attenuated nerve injury-induced CCL2 increase in injured DRGs and nociceptive hypersensitivity during the development and maintenance periods of neuropathic pain. Mimicking NIS-lncRNA upregulation elevated CCL2 expression, increased CCL2-mediated excitability in DRG neurons, and produced neuropathic pain symptoms. Mechanistically, NIS-lncRNA recruited more binding of the RNA-interacting protein FUS to the Ccl2 promoter and augmented Ccl2 transcription in injured DRGs. Thus, NIS-lncRNA participates in neuropathic pain likely by promoting FUS-triggered DRG Ccl2 expression and may be a potential target in neuropathic pain management., Introduction Peripheral neuropathic pain caused by primary damage or injury to the peripheral nervous system is a complex and debilitating major health problem. It impacts the quality of life of [...]

Introduction: The purpose of this study is to examine the relevance of non-specific safety belt use data for interventions to rural teens and to pilot a data collection project to provide more specific data to traffic safety stakeholders and educators in rural areas.Methods: Twelve high schools in Southeast Georgia were used for observed safety belt data collection over a 16 month period. Observational surveys were conducted at the entrance to student parking lots of the studied schools in the morning or afternoon. Observers were trained and survey methods were standardized to maintain comparability between results.Results: Observational surveys revealed a safety belt usage rate of 38.6% among high schools teens at the studied high schools. Safety belt usage rates ranged from 9.5% to 66.9%. Observed safety belt use for female vehicle occupants was 48.4% compared to 35.6% for males.Conclusion: The observational survey results from this study support research showing that rural teens have lower safety belt usage rates than adults or urban teens. Despite efforts to target rural areas, programs must specifically target sub populations, especially rural male teens, in order to hold any traction. Because of the wide gap between measured safety belt use in rural Georgia (79.9%) and the studied rural high schools (38.6%), local program planners must assess actual safety belt usage in their high risk rural teen population in order to use accurate metrics for intervention and education efforts. [West J Emerg Med. 2013;14(4):380–383.]

Objective: To increase teen seat belt use among drivers at a rural high school by implementing the Drive Alive Pilot Program (DAPP), a theory-driven intervention built on highway safety best practices.Methods: The first component of the program was 20 observational teen seat belt surveys conducted by volunteer students in a high school parking lot over a 38-month period before and after the month-long intervention. The survey results were published in the newspaper. The second component was the use of incentives, such as gift cards, to promote teen seat belt use. The third component involved disincentives, such as increased police patrol and school policies. The fourth component was a programmatic intervention that focused on education and media coverage of the DAPP program.Results: Eleven pre-intervention surveys and nine post-intervention surveys were conducted before and after the intervention. The pre- and post-intervention seat belt usage showed significant differences (p

Dysregulation of pain-associated genes in the dorsal root ganglion (DRG) is considered to be a molecular basis of neuropathic pain genesis. Fused in sarcoma (FUS), a DNA/RNA-binding protein, is a critical regulator of gene expression. However, whether it contributes to neuropathic pain is unknown. This study showed that peripheral nerve injury caused by the fourth lumbar (L4) spinal nerve ligation (SNL) or chronic constriction injury (CCI) of the sciatic nerve produced a marked increase in the expression of FUS protein in injured DRG neurons. Blocking this increase through microinjection of the adeno-associated virus (AAV) 5-expressing Fus shRNA into the ipsilateral L4 DRG mitigated the SNL-induced nociceptive hypersensitivities in both male and female mice. This microinjection also alleviated the SNL-induced increases in the levels of phosphorylated extracellular signal-regulated kinase 1/2 (p-ERK1/2) and glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) in the ipsilateral L4 dorsal horn. Furthermore, mimicking this increase through microinjection of AAV5 expressing full-length Fus mRNA into unilateral L3/4 DRGs produced the elevations in the levels of p-ERK1/2 and GFAP in the dorsal horn, enhanced responses to mechanical, heat and cold stimuli, and induced the spontaneous pain on the ipsilateral side of both male and female mice in the absence of SNL. Mechanistically, the increased FUS activated the NF-jB signaling pathway by promoting the translocation of p65 into the nucleus and phosphorylation of p65 in the nucleus from injured DRG neurons. Our results indicate that DRG FUS contributes to neuropathic pain likely through the activation of NF-jB in primary sensory neurons. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To link to full-text access for this article, visit this link: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.tins.2010.09.002 Byline: Steve Davidson (1), Glenn J. Giesler (2) Abstract: Multiple neural pathways and molecular mechanisms responsible for producing the sensation of itch have recently been identified, including histamine-independent pathways. Physiological, molecular, behavioral and brain imaging studies are converging on a description of these pathways and their close association with pain processing. Some conflicting results have arisen and the precise relationship between itch and pain remains controversial. A better understanding of the generation of itch and of the intrinsic mechanisms that inhibit itch after scratching should facilitate the search for new methods to alleviate clinical pruritus (itch). In this review we describe the current understanding of the production and inhibition of itch. A model of itch processing within the CNS is proposed. Author Affiliation: (1) Pain Center and Department of Anesthesiology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA (2) Department of Neuroscience, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA

Objective. Motor vehicle crashes remain the leading cause of death among US children 1 year of age and older. Although age-appropriate child passenger restraint use and back seating position are effective injury prevention strategies, many children 12 years of age and younger ride inappropriately restrained and seated in the front seat. In Georgia and in most states, surveillance of child passenger restraint use is less than optimal. Although child safety seat legislation is 1 of the most effective mechanisms for increasing correct restraint use and back seating position, Georgia's child occupant restraint law, like the laws in most states, falls short of practices recommended by government and child advocacy safety groups. The objective of this study was to document child passenger restraint use and seating position among children aged 0 to 12 years in Georgia and to use these study results to evaluate the efficacy of Georgia's child restraint surveillance and legislation. Methods. In May and June 2001, police roadblocks were used to collect information about child passenger age, restraint use, and seating position. Results. Data were collected on 1858 children who were riding in 1221 vehicles in 24 different Georgia counties. Results showed that 56% of children were inappropriately restrained and/or in the front seat. The most problematic age groups included infants who were in forward-facing child safety seats (28%) and/or in the front seat (22%); children who were 5 to 8 years of age in car seat belts alone (88%), rather than age- and size-appropriate child safety seats (6%); and children who were 9 to 12 years of age and riding in the front seat (39%). We compared our results with the existing Georgia passenger restraint surveillance system and found that it would have missed 77% of the children in our study who were inappropriately restrained and/or riding in the front seat. In a similar comparison, Georgia's restraint law did not cover over 74% of the children in our study who were riding at risk. Conclusion. The results of this study highlight 3 important areas for improving child passenger safety: targeted interventions to promote booster seat use and riding in the back seat, expanded child passenger restraint and seating position surveillance, and expanded legislation to mandate booster seat use and back seating position. Pediatrics 2005;115:372-379; motor vehicle safety, child safety seat, seating position, booster seats, surveillance, legislation., ABBREVIATIONS. AAP, American Academy of Pediatrics; NHTSA, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration; CSS, child safety seat. In the United States, motor vehicle crashes continue to be the leading cause of [...]