Search

OBJECTIVES: A life-course perspective emphasizes healthy behaviors before, during, and after pregnancy to support a multi-generational risk reduction in obesity for mothers and infants. Optimal timing, content, and dose of such interventions is not well defined. METHODS: We conducted a nested cohort within a randomized trial to evaluate whether a healthy lifestyle intervention around pregnancy led to a “spill-over effect,” including a healthier rate (kg/week) of maternal gestational weight gain, and infant growth during the first year. Study enrollment began in 2012, follow-up data collection completed in 2018, and the data were analyzed in 2019. The intervention focused on healthy maternal diet and physical activity but not pregnancy weight or infant feeding. Outcome data were abstracted from electronic medical records. RESULTS: Of the 165 women who became pregnant, 114 enrolled in the nested cohort. The average pre-pregnancy BMI was 29.6 (SD 5.1) kg/m(2). Mixed effects models suggested clinically insignificant differences in both the rate of gestational weight gain (−0.02 kg/week; 95% CI −0.09, 0.06) and the rate of infant growth (difference at 1 year: −0.002 kg/cm; 95% CI −0.009, 0.005). CONCLUSIONS FOR PRACTICE: A behavioral intervention that focused on overall maternal health delivered in the time around pregnancy did not result in a “spill-over effect” on healthy gestational weight gain or healthy infant growth during the first year of life. TRIAL REGISTRATION: This study is registered at www.clinicaltrials.gov NCT01316653.

BACKGROUND Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, the world has also been battling a COVID-19 infodemic. Navigating for accurate information, especially health- and science-related content, on social media has been challenging. Although infographics are a popular medium for simplifying complex, text-based information into visual components, their usefulness in communicating COVID-19 related information during a global health crisis has not been explored. OBJECTIVE The study aims to explore the effectiveness of infographics in conveying scientific information related to COVID-19 on social media. METHODS Following a social media campaign that published COVID-19 related infographics, a cross-sectional survey was administered to social media users, primarily students from Western University. Descriptive statistics were used to summarize all Likert-type scale responses and an inductive qualitative analysis was performed for open ended responses. Differences in responses based on educational background (health vs non-health related) were analyzed using Fischer’s exact. RESULTS 361 survey responses were collected. 73% of respondents were young adults (18-24) with varying degrees of post-secondary education in a health-related academic background. Most respondents indicated that infographics were visually appealing and were likely to share infographics as reliable sources of information. The use of infographics as an effective tool for science communication was strongly supported. Compared to written articles, majority of the survey responders agreed that infographics allowed for greater information retention and learning. Educational background did not influence the perceived usefulness of infographics in understanding scientific information. CONCLUSIONS Infographics are effective in conveying scientific information about COVID-19 on social media. Findings from this study can be useful for shaping communication strategies during a pandemic and, more broadly, global crises.

Date Presented 03/26/20 The study examined Medicare quality-measure data to determine the amount of rehabilitation services needed (e.g., therapy intensity and the length of stay) to maximize the improvement in self-care skills for older adults with an orthopedic hip condition in skilled-nursing facilities. Findings of the study can serve as a reference for OTs to plan intervention and justify the resources necessary to increase clients’ independence. Primary Author and Speaker: Chiung-ju (CJ) Liu Additional Authors and Speakers: Christine Kroll Contributing Authors: Courtney Hayden, Craig Wright, Erin Ingram, Lauren Barr, Niki Pierson, Ashley Suda

Pain, pruritus, and nausea are complex sensory and emotional physiological symptoms that can vary widely between people and even within an individual, depending on the context and meaning of the symptom and the psychological state of the person. This article reviews the acute neural transmission of pain, pruritus, and nausea symptoms, which can begin in the periphery and/or viscera. The subsequent multiple pathways in the central nervous system that become involved in the processing of these symptoms are also discussed. The authors describe human brain imaging studies that have revealed consistent cortical and subcortical networks activated by these symptoms, including sensory, limbic, and associative regions. In particular, the authors discuss information revealed by the studies regarding the primary somatosensory cortex, secondary somatosensory cortex, anterior cingulate cortex, insula, prefrontal cortex and thalamus, are the brain areas most commonly activated by noxious stimuli. Finally, the authors describe treatment options for chronic presentations of these symptoms, which are, in part, based on central nervous processing of these sensations.

Neurotransmitter-release is a specialized form of vesicle fusion that shares a common SNARE-mediated fusion mechanism with other vesicle trafficking pathways within cells. With the emergence of multicellular organisms and just before of the formation of the primitive nervous system, two principal families of SNARE complex-binding proteins emerged, synaptotagmins (Syt) and complexins (Cpx). Current data suggest that SNARE binding by the two proteins allows Syt-1 to promote fusion in a calcium dependent manner, while Cpx prevents premature fusion in the absence of calcium influx. However, their precise roles in regulated secretion and effects on short-term synaptic plasticity (STP) is poorly understood. Here, we present a thorough analysis of synaptic transmission at NMJs of mutant and overexpression animals using recordings of evoked and spontaneous EPSCs using voltage-clamp at the Drosophila NMJ. Kinetic analysis of eEPSCs reveals that synchronous and asynchronous release critically depends on the level of Cpx and Syt expression. Moreover, sEPSCs analysis indicates that spontaneous release is tightly regulated by Syt and Cpx. Additionally, Syt and Cpx protein levels alter quantal content and STP, suggesting that these proteins play a role in the availability of vesicles for fusion. We propose that Syt minimizes the energy of the transition-state for SNARE-complex fusion, while Cpx decreases this free energy, creating an energetic barrier at a late step of vesicle fusion clamping vesicles in the immediately releasable pool. Finally, we tested the functional conservation of Cpx comparing the two Drosophila splice variants and the mammalian isoforms confirming their roles as a vesicle fusion clamp, but also revealing functional diversity in evoked responses.