Polymerizable Skin Hydrogel for Full Thickness Wound Healing

The skin is the largest organ in the human body, comprising the main barrier against the environment. When the skin loses its integrity, it is critical to replace it to prevent water loss and the proliferation of opportunistic infections. For more than 40 years, tissue-engineered skin grafts have been based on the in vitro culture of keratinocytes over different scaffolds, requiring between 3 to 4 weeks of tissue culture before being used clinically. In this study, we describe the development of a polymerizable skin hydrogel consisting of keratinocytes and fibroblast entrapped within a fibrin scaffold. We histologically characterized the construct and evaluated its use on an in vivo wound healing model of skin damage. Our results indicate that the proposed methodology can be used to effectively regenerate skin wounds, avoiding the secondary in vitro culture steps and thus, shortening the time needed until transplantation in comparison with other bilayer skin models. This is achievable due to the instant polymerization of the keratinocytes and fibroblast combination that allows a direct application on the wound. We suggest that the polymerizable skin hydrogel is an inexpensive, easy and rapid treatment that could be transferred into clinical practice in order to improve the treatment of skin wounds.     

Microbial and enzymatic stability of fruit juice-milk beverages treated by high intensity pulsed electric fields or heat during refrigerated storage

The influence of high intensity pulsed electric fields (HIPEF) treatment (35 kV/cm, bipolar 4 μs square wave pulses at 200 Hz) on the inactivation of Listeria innocua in fruit juice–whole (FJ–WM) or skim milk (FJ–SM) beverages was assessed. As well, the effects of HIPEF or conventional thermal (90 °C 60 s) processing in terms of microbial and enzymatic stability and changes on physicochemical parameters of the beverages during refrigerated storage were also studied. HIPEF and thermal processing ensured the microbial stability of the beverages during 56 days at 4 °C without significant changes on pH, acidity and soluble solid content values. Thermal processing was more effective than HIPEF in reducing Pectin Methyl Esterase (PME) activity in FJ–SM and FJ–WM beverages since its activity was reduced by 70.66% and 87.33%, respectively. With regards to Polygalacturonase (PG), HIPEF treatment reduced by 26.92% and 20.93% the enzyme activity in the FJ–WM and FJ–SM beverages, respectively, whereas thermal treatment did not inactivate PG in both beverages. HIPEF or thermally-treated samples showed higher viscosity than the untreated ones, being this increment more pronounced in the beverages with whole milk. Therefore, HIPEF processing may be a feasible technology in order to obtain shelf stable and fresh-like fruit juice-milk beverages.     

Development and validation of the Caregiver Empowerment Scale: A resource for working with family caregivers of persons with traumatic brain injury.

Objective: To use multitrait analysis to determine the measurement structure of the Caregiver Empowerment Scale (CES). Participants: An American sample of 87 adult primary family caregivers of persons with traumatic brain injury (TBI). Results: A four-factor structure was identified including factor 1 (Advocacy Self-Efficacy), factor 2 (Community Self-Efficacy), factor 3 (Caregiver Self-Efficacy), and factor 4 (Personal Self-Efficacy). Conclusions: The CES provides clinicians and researchers a means to assess self-perceived coping abilities of family caregivers of persons with TBI. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

Posttraumatic stress disorder and intimate relationship problems: A meta-analysis.

Objective: The authors conducted a meta-analysis of empirical studies investigating associations between indices of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and intimate relationship problems to empirically synthesize this literature. Method: A literature search using PsycINFO, Medline, Published International Literature on Traumatic Stress (PILOTS), and Dissertation Abstracts was performed. The authors identified 31 studies meeting inclusion criteria. Results: True score correlations (ρ) revealed medium-sized associations between PTSD and intimate relationship discord (ρ = .38, N = 7,973, K = 21), intimate relationship physical aggression perpetration (ρ = .42, N = 4,630, K = 19), and intimate relationship psychological aggression perpetration (ρ = .36, N = 1,501, K = 10). The strength of the association between PTSD and relationship discord was higher in military (vs. civilian) samples, and when the study was conducted in the United States (vs. other country), and the study represented a doctoral dissertation (vs. published article). The strength of the association between PTSD and physical aggression was higher in military (vs. civilian) samples, males (vs. females), community (vs. clinical) samples, studies examining PTSD symptom severity (vs. diagnosis), when the physical aggression measure focused exclusively on severe violence (vs. a more inclusive measure), and the study was published (vs. dissertation). For the PTSD–psychological aggression association, 98% of the variance was accounted for by methodological artifacts such as sampling and measurement error; consequently, no moderators were examined in this relationship. Conclusions: Findings highlight a need for the examination of models explaining the relationship difficulties associated with PTSD symptomatology and interventions designed to treat problems in both areas. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Toward a brief multidimensional assessment of emotional intelligence: Psychometric properties of the Emotional Quotient Inventory—Short Form.

Although several brief instruments are available for the emotional intelligence (EI) construct, their conceptual coverage tends to be quite limited. One notable exception is the short form of the Emotional Quotient Inventory (EQ-i:S), which measures multiple EI dimensions in addition to a global EI index. Despite the unique advantage offered by the inventory, psychometric properties of the EQ-i:S scores have not yet been systematically evaluated. Such an evaluation was the main goal of the present investigation. Using data from 2,508 undergraduates, the authors conducted 2 studies involving factor structure, internal reliability, 6-month temporal stability, and construct validity of the EQ-i:S responses, both for the total EQ scale and for each constituent dimension. The results supported the multidimensional measurement structure of the EQ-i:S, with each dimension producing internally consistent, temporally stable, and theoretically meaningful responses. Scores on the EQ-i:S were associated more strongly with performance on an ability test of EI and with a conceptually similar construct of alexithymia than with the broader dimensions of basic personality and explained nontrivial amounts of incremental variance in the criterion symptoms of attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder. Moreover, scores on each EQ-i:S dimension exhibited unique patterns of associations with the validation variables. The discussion highlights the advantages of the multidimensional approach in the assessment and study of EI. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

Glossopharyngeal nerve transection impairs unconditioned avoidance of diverse bitter stimuli in rats.

There is growing evidence of heterogeneity among responses to bitter stimuli at the peripheral, central and behavioral levels. For instance, the glossopharyngeal (GL) nerve and neurons receiving its projections are more responsive to bitter stimuli than the chorda tympani (CT) nerve, and this is particularly true for some bitter stimuli like PROP & cycloheximide that stimulate the GL to a far greater extent. Given this information, we hypothesized that cutting the GL would have a greater effect on behavioral avoidance of cycloheximide and PROP than quinine and denatonium, which also stimulate the CT, albeit to a lesser degree than salts and acids. Forty male SD rats were divided into four surgery groups: bilateral GL transection (GLX), chorda tympani transection (CTX), SHAM surgery, and combined transection (CTX + GLX). Postsurgical avoidance functions were generated for the four bitter stimuli using a brief-access test. GLX significantly compromised avoidance compared to both CTX and SHAM groups for all stimuli (p     

A guiding framework and approach for implementation research in substance use disorders treatment.

This paper introduces readers to the concepts of implementation science, implementation theory, and implementation frameworks and models. A wide range of models has been published in the literature related to implementation. The paper will present an overview of the Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research (CFIR), which is a comprehensive typology that unifies and consolidates the array of constructs that influence implementation from the perspective of these models. The CFIR is then used to evaluate implementation models used in studies of substance use disorder (SUD) treatments. Implementation research is scarce, with few prospective studies of theory-driven implementation. We assert that future research in SUD needs to meet three overarching objectives to promote wider implementation of evidence-based practices: (a) differentiation of core versus adaptable components of evidence-based interventions need; (b) development of methods to design implementation strategies, effectively adapted to the broad context; and (c) design and testing of predictive models to assess likelihood of effective implementation and prospects for sustainability while taking into account salient contextual factors. A recommended strategy for accomplishing these objectives is described. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

Technology and independent practice: Survey findings and implications.

Today's rapid rate of technology change introduces both opportunities and challenges for psychologists. A Technology and Practice Questionnaire was sent to 1000 psychologists in independent practice, half of whom were contacted by e-mail and the other half by U.S. mail. A total of 237 of the 433 deliverable surveys sent by U.S. mail were returned (54.7% response rate), but only 49 of the 458 deliverable surveys sent by e-mail (12.9% response rate). Respondents were asked to rate the frequency of 51 behaviors in their practice and to indicate whether the behavior is ethical. The results suggest a relatively low rate of technology use among independent practitioners and a high degree of ethical uncertainty regarding the use of various technologies in practice. Implications for training and practice are considered. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

Incorporation of process integration into life cycle analysis for the production of biofuels

This article presents a new approach for incorporating process-integration tools into life cycle analysis (LCA) for biofuel production. Process synthesis techniques using mass- and energy-integration tools are employed to generate various scenarios for reducing mass and energy consumption in the process. The global implications of these changes and the associated trade-offs are assessed using the LCA tool: GREET. The developed approach enables the consideration of several levels of process integration while tracking the process economics and the reduction of the net greenhouse gas emissions. Several cases of biofuels with different processing technologies have been considered in this study, and the results show that when the process-integration tools are effectively utilized and combined with LCA, better insights are obtained and the net greenhouse gas emissions decrease drastically for different biofuels.     

A large-scale investigation of lateralization in cortical anatomy and word reading: Are there sex differences?

The authors report findings of a large-scale, multitask investigation of sex differences in both structural asymmetries and lateralization of word reading. Two hundred participants were tested in eight divided visual field lexical tasks, and each received a structural magnetic resonance imaging scan. The authors examined whether there was evidence for sex differences in overall measures of neuroanatomical and behavioral lateralization, in specific language tasks and brain regions, and in variation in asymmetry within and across tasks and brain regions. There was very little evidence for sex differences on any behavioral measure. The few indications of sex differences in the current report accounted for 2% or less of the individual variation in asymmetry and could not be replicated in independent subsamples. No sex differences were observed in the asymmetry of structures in Broca's and Wernicke's areas such as pars triangularis, pars opercularis, the planum temporale, planum parietale, or Heschl's gyrus. There were also no sex differences in the variability of neuroanatomical asymmetries within or between brain regions. However, a significant relationship between planum temporale and behavioral asymmetry was restricted to men. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)