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  • Cooley Parks posted an update 10 months, 3 weeks ago

    In this article, we review controversies in assessing the risk of serious adverse effects caused by administration of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs). Our focus is upon NSAIDs used in short courses for the management of acute postoperative pain. In our review of the literature, we found that the risks of short-term NSAID use may be overemphasized. Specifically, that the likelihood of renal dysfunction, bleeding, nonunion of bone, gastric complications, and finally, cardiac dysfunction do not appear to be significantly increased when NSAIDs are used appropriately after surgery. The importance of this finding is that in light of the opioid epidemic, it is crucial to be aware of alternative analgesic options that are safe for postoperative pain control.

    When a parent learns of their child’s autism diagnosis, they may be overwhelmed, confused, and frustrated. Family navigation services are designed to improve access to care. While these services are a promising intervention to enhance well-being and developmental outcomes, there are limited tools that can systematically facilitate the development of a shared navigation plan that prioritizes the concerns of the family. The Family-Centered Autism Navigation semi-structured interview guide is designed for family navigators to triage and prioritize caregiver’s needs to coordinate and navigate systems of care after learning of their child’s autism spectrum disorder diagnosis. The goals of the Family-Centered Autism Navigation interview are to (1) identify family and child strengths; (2) identify family/caregiver concerns regarding navigation of services and systems following their child’s diagnosis of autism; (3) measure change in caregiver knowledge, ability and skill as it relates to understanding, remembering report describes the development process of the Family-Centered Autism Navigation semi-structured interview guide. We utilized brief interviews (n = 42), expert feedback (n = 13), and quality improvement strategies (n = 2 family navigators) to develop the questions and determine the usability of the Family-Centered Autism Navigation interview in practice.Phytosterols and phytostanols are natural products present in vegetable oils, nuts, and seeds, or added to consumer food products whose intake is inversely associated with incidence and prognosis of several cancers. Randomized cancer prevention trials in humans are unfeasible due to time and cost yet the cellular processes and signaling cascades that underpin anti-cancer effects of these phytochemicals have been explored extensively in vitro and in preclinical in vivo models. Here we have performed an original systematic review, meta-analysis, and qualitative interpretation of literature published up to June 2020. MEDLINE, Scopus, and hand-searching identified 408 unique records that were screened leading to 32 original articles that had investigated the effects of phytosterols or phytostanols on cancer biology in preclinical models. DJ4 concentration Data was extracted from 22 publications for meta-analysis. Phytosterols were most commonly studied and found to reduce primary and metastatic tumor burden in all cancer sites evaluated. Expression of pAKT, and markers of metastasis (alkaline phosphatase, matrix metalloproteases, epithelial to mesenchymal transcription factors, lung and brain colonization), angiogenesis (vascular endothelial growth factor, CD31), and proliferation (Ki67, proliferating cell nuclear antigen) were consistently reduced by phytosterol treatment in breast and colorectal cancer. Very high dose treatment (equivalent to 0.2-1 g/kg body weight not easily achievable through diet or supplementation in humans) was associated with adverse events including poor gut health and intestinal adenoma development. Phytosterols and phytostanols are already clinically recommended for cardiovascular disease risk reduction, and represent promising anti-cancer agents that could be delivered in clinic and to the general population at low cost, with a well understood safety profile, and now with a robust understanding of mechanism-of-action.

    Children on the autism spectrum may experience difficulties with the regulation of attention, thoughts, emotions, and behavior, understanding, and expressing their emotions appropriately, as well as anxiety, and sleep. In autism research, contemplative practices that work through both body and mind have shown tentatively promising results. However, there are limited studies on this topic, and the use of yoga to facilitate executive control has not been researched yet. The Incredible Explorers (6-week program), a yoga-informed intervention program for children (8-12 years), was developed to understand whether, for children on the autism spectrum, the training could improve the ability to self-regulate, reduce anxiety and sleep problems, and increase awareness of emotions. In our sample, 61 children with one of their parents completed the program. Half of the group received the intervention, and the other half had to wait until the yoga group completed their trial. The participants were asked to give their feted a reduction in some of the sleep problems post-treatment. Children indicated an improved ability to communicate their feelings and willingness to analyze their emotions post-intervention. However, the study had several shortcomings and given that this was the first trial of the program, the results need to be interpreted with caution. Further research is recommended.This study aimed to identify self-care ability, quality of life (QOL), and their related factors in individuals with spinal cord injury (SCI). A cross-sectional design and a convenience sample of 152 individuals with SCI from four SCI units and clinics in Jordan were used. Modified Barthel Index of Activities of Daily Living and the World Health Organization Quality of Life-BREF instruments were used. About 55.3% of participants reported moderate dependence on others to support their self-care ability, 48.0% reported good QOL, 65.8% were satisfied with their health after SCI, and physical and environmental domains received the highest scores. Having incomplete injury or paraplegia significantly predicted higher self-care ability. Being male, having a higher level of education, incomplete injury, paraplegia, and no pressure injury significantly predicted higher QOL (p  less then  .000). Collaboration is needed among health institutions, families, and communities to improve self-care ability and QOL after SCI.