Climate Change: Effects on the Older Adult

The effects of climate change include floods, hurricanes, heat waves, and fires; these natural disasters can result in respiratory, cardiovascular, and psychological harm in older adults, who experience the highest morbidity and mortality during heat waves. Advanced practice registered nurses (APRNs) need education on preparing, assessing, and treating older adults for climate-change disasters, especially heat waves. This article will help APRNs understand the effects of climate-change events on the vulnerable older adults and advocates for the need to integrate health effects of climate change into curricula, practicums, policy, and research agendas.     

The ABA intervention for improving breastfeeding initiation and continuation: Feasibility study results

The UK has low breastfeeding rates, with socioeconomic disparities. The Assets‐based feeding help Before and After birth (ABA) intervention was designed to be inclusive and improve infant feeding behaviours. ABA is underpinned by the behaviour change wheel and offers an assets‐based approach focusing on positive capabilities of individuals and communities, including use of a Genogram. This study aimed to investigate feasibility of intervention delivery within a randomised controlled trial (RCT). Nulliparous women ≥16 years, (n = 103) from two English sites were recruited and randomised to either intervention or usual care. The intervention – delivered through face‐to‐face, telephone and text message by trained Infant Feeding Helpers (IFHs) – ran from 30‐weeks' gestation until 5‐months postnatal. Outcomes included recruitment rates and follow‐up at 3‐days, 8‐weeks and 6‐months postnatal, with collection of future full trial outcomes via questionnaires. A mixed‐methods process evaluation included qualitative interviews with 30 women, 13 IFHs and 17 maternity providers; IFH contact logs; and fidelity checking of antenatal contact recordings. This study successfully recruited women, including teenagers, from socioeconomically disadvantaged areas; postnatal follow‐up rates were 68.0%, 85.4% and 80.6% at 3‐days, 8‐weeks and 6‐months respectively. Breastfeeding at 8‐weeks was obtained for 95.1% using routine data for non‐responders. It was possible to recruit and train peer supporters to deliver the intervention with adequate fidelity. The ABA intervention was acceptable to women, IFHs and maternity services. There was minimal contamination and no evidence of intervention‐related harm. In conclusion, the intervention is feasible to deliver within an RCT, and a definitive trial required.     

漏斗胸Nuss矫形术对胸廓的影响及相关因素分析

目的通过CT影像测量了解漏斗胸Nuss矫形术前后胸廓径线的改变情况,探讨并分析Nuss矫形术对胸廓的影响及相关因素。方法对2014年1月至2018年12月郑州大学第一附属医院收治的50例行漏斗胸Nuss矫形术患儿的临床资料进行回顾性分析。50例患儿中男43例,女7例。所有患儿中存在脊柱侧弯6例,胸廓不对称12例,胸骨旋转11例。通过CT影像测量其放置矫形器前及取出矫形器后胸廓各椎体平面最大横内径及该平面胸脊间的距离,通过配对样本t检验比较矫形前后各径线的改变情况,以及通过独立样本t检验分析在不同年龄、性别、矫形时间、漏斗胸对称与否、是否合并脊柱侧弯等情况间的差异性。结果50例患儿均顺利完成矫形器置入术及矫形器拔除术,无明显术中及术后并发症,Nuss矫形后较矫形前相比,胸廓前后径在第8~12胸椎水平均较前增加,第3~5胸椎平面较前减小,胸廓横径在第8~10胸椎平面较前减小;年龄≤10岁、矫形时长≥2年及女性患儿胸廓前后径改变量在多个胸椎平面分别较年龄>10岁、矫形时长<2年及男性患儿大,P<0.05,差异具有统计学意义。结论漏斗胸Nuss矫形后前胸壁凹陷较前明显改善,并且在不同年龄和不同矫形时长间存在差异性,年龄较小及适当增加矫形时间可获得较好的矫形效果,而胸廓横径生长在一定程度上受限。     

Bidirectional relationships between future time perspective and alcohol use: an exploratory study in a clinical setting

Abstract

Gaining a better grasp on factors related to changes in alcohol use is of particular interest for clinicians. Past research has highlighted a negative link between future time perspective (i.e. a disposition guiding how individuals consider and act regarding their future) and alcohol misuse. However, much remains at stake in the understanding of this association. The objective of this research was to explore bidirectional relationships between future time perspective and severity of alcohol-related problems, in a clinical setting. The sample includes 79 patients followed up in an outpatient alcohol treatment centre. Two measurement times were planned: at entry into care and 6 months later. Multiple linear regression analyses were carried out, controlling for sociodemographic variables. We found that baseline future time perspective predicted level of alcohol-related problems after 6 months in treatment, even when effects of baseline alcohol-related problems and sociodemographic variables were controlled. This study shows that the way patients see and position themselves regarding their future can affect level of alcohol-related problems. It may be useful for clinicians to identify patients with low future time perspective to offer tailored interventions and consider this dimension as a resource for change.     

Redox active or thiol reactive? Optimization of rapid screens to identify less evident nuisance compounds

Compounds that exhibit assay interference or undesirable mechanisms of bioactivity are routinely encountered in assays at various stages of drug discovery. We observed that assays for the investigation of thiol-reactive and redox-active compounds have not been collected in a comprehensive review. Here, we review these assays and subject them to experimental optimization to improve their reliability. We demonstrate the usefulness of our assay cascade by assaying a library of bioactive compounds, chemical probes, and a set of approved drugs. These high-throughput assays should complement the array of wet-lab and in silico assays during the initial stages of hit discovery campaigns to pursue only hit compounds with tractable mechanisms of action.     

Antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities of lycopene against 5-fluorouracil-induced cytotoxicity in Caco2 cells

5-fluorouracil (5FU) is widely used to treat colorectal cancer (CC) and its main mechanisms of anticancer action are through generation of ROS which often result in inflammation. Here, we test the effect of Lycopene against 5FU in Caco2 cell line. Caco2 cells were exposed to 3 µg/ml of 5FU alone or with 60, 90, 120 µg/ml of lycopene. This was followed by assessment of cytotoxicity, oxidative stress, and gene expression of inflammatory genes. Our findings showed that Lycopene and 5FU co-exposure induced dose-dependent cytotoxic effect without compromising the membrane integrity based on the LDH assay. Lycopene also significantly enhanced 5FU-induced SOD activity and GSH level compared to control for all mixture concentrations (p < 0.01). Lycopene alone and combination with 5FU-induced expression of IL-1β, TNF-α, and IL-6. Furthermore, IFN-γ expression was significantly enhanced by only mixture of lycopene (90 µg/ml) and 5FU (p < 0.05). In conclusion, Lycopene supplementation with 5FU therapy resulted in improvement in antioxidant parameters such as catalase and GSH levels giving the cell capacity to cope with 5FU-mediated oxidative stress. Lycopene also enhanced IFN-γ expression in the presence of 5FU, which may activate antitumor effects further enhancing the cancer killing effect of 5FU.