ADHD, stigma and continuum beliefs: A population survey on public attitudes towards children and adults with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder

ADHD is a mental illness of high epidemiological and clinical importance, embedded in a complex socio-cultural context. We estimated the prevalence of attitudes related to ADHD in a representative population survey in Germany (n = 1008) after presenting an unlabelled vignette of a child or an adult with ADHD. Relations of personal experience, interpersonal contact and continuum beliefs with emotions and social distance were calculated using path models. About two-thirds of the German public indicated they believe in a continuum of ADHD symptoms, and half stated that they know somebody among family or close friends with a comparable problem. About one-quarter of respondents felt annoyed by the depicted person. While an adult with ADHD was most frequently accepted as a work colleague or neighbor, about one-quarter of the German general population rejected renting a room or giving a job recommendation. Personal Experience (both vignettes) and contact (adult vignette) were related to a higher belief in a continuum of symptoms, while explanation of variance was low. A belief in a continuum of symptoms was related to more pro-social reactions and less social distance. This study indicates that emphasizing aspects of a continuum of symptoms should be considered within the disorder model of ADHD.

Effects of education and social contact on mental health-related stigma among high-school students

Poor knowledge and stigma toward people with mental illness negatively affect intentions to seek help among adolescents. The study aimed to assess the impact of three school-based interventions and to explore whether positive changes in attitudes were linked to more favorable changes in desire for social distance and seeking help. A total of 221 upper secondary students were allocated to three interventions: 1. social contact; 2. Mental Health Literacy (MHL) conducted by clinicians; 3. MHL conducted by dis-peer instructors. Measures of knowledge, attitudes, views on empowerment and recovery, willingness to interact, and help seeking were collected. Generalized Estimating Equations and Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) were used to evaluate scores differences between interventions through time, and to test the interrelationships between knowledge, attitudes variables and the two outcomes of interest. Findings showed that all groups improved in knowledge, attitudes, empowerment, willingness to interact, and seeking help. SEM revealed that the increase in knowledge was significantly associated with the General attitudes toward people with mental illness construct that, in turn, was positively associated with willingness to interact and seeking help. Results encourage the use of anti-stigma interventions in order to decrease negative attitudes toward mental illness and improve behavioral intentions among students.

Individuals with Mental Illness and Stigma Reduction: A Cross-Sectional Study in a Group of College Students

Objective: Stigma has a significant impact on the life of individuals with mental illness. The purpose of this study was to examine the association of contact with the mentally ill with stigmatizing attitudes in a group of college students. Method : A total of 287 college students participated in this study. The participants were recruited from Hormozgan University of Medical Sciences using convenience sampling and completed the research measures including the Level of Familiarity (LOF) and the Attribution questionnaires (AQ). The data were analyzed using SPSS. Results: The descriptive findings of this study showed that the participants' highest score on stigmatizing attitudes was related to pity and the least score was related to anger towards people with mental illness. Furthermore, the regression analysis results indicated that personal contact, family contact, and work contact with individuals with mental illness significantly predicted stigma reduction, while other types of contacts with the mentally ill, such as friend contact, social contact, and media contact, did not significantly predict stigma reduction. Conclusion: This study highlighted the significant role of having contact with the mentally ill in reducing stigmatizing attitudes towards them.

Relationship between number of contacts between previous dropouts with type 2 diabetes and health care professionals on glycaemic control: A cohort study in public primary health care

AIM

Previous study findings have shown that more frequent contacts with the diabetes care team predict better diabetes control. It is unknown whether this is true also for previous dropouts with type 2 diabetes (T2D). The aim of this study was to evaluate if those previous dropouts with T2D who succeeded to improve their glycaemic control had more frequent contacts with health care professionals in the public primary diabetes health care system than those dropouts who did not show improvement.

METHODS

In this "real life" retrospective cohort study, we identified 115 dropouts with T2D who were contacted by trained diabetes nurses and who returned to a public T2D-care system. Those previous dropouts who had baseline haemoglobin A_1c ≥53mmol/mol (7%) and had a reduction in HbA_1c≥6mmol/mol (0.5%) during the follow-up were compared with those with unsatisfactory change in HbA_1c (baseline HbA_1c≥53mmol/mol and change <6mmol/mol, or HbA_1c<53mmol/mol at the baseline measurement but above that in the end of the study period) or with those who remained at good glycaemic control over the study period. Trained diabetes nurses collected quantitative data from the patient records about visits and contacts during the follow-up.

RESULTS

Previous dropouts showing improvement had more visits to the diabetes nurse (p=0.003) and other nurses (p<0.001) than those with no improvement or those with satisfactory glycaemic control. Telephone calls not focusing on diabetes (p<0.001) were also more frequent among previous dropouts with improvement than among the others.

CONCLUSIONS

Especially previous dropouts with T2D who had poor glycaemic control, may benefit from more frequent contacts including visits and telephone calls. Recalling dropouts does not seem to lead to overuse of the T2D care-system by those recalled patients whose glycaemic control does not require special care.

Exploration of Intervention Strategies to Reduce Public Stigma Associated with Gambling Disorder

Stigma associated with gambling disorder is complex, and is a key obstacle that prevents sufferers from seeking early help for their condition. However, little research has addressed how best to reduce gambling stigma. This study explored the effectiveness of video intervention styles, that have been used to reduce public stigma for conditions such as mental illness and substance use disorders. This was done to determine which would be most suitable, considering the unique characteristics of gambling disorder. An online survey of 164 people living in Australia was conducted which examined attitudes toward gamblers experiencing problems before and after an intervention. Participants were randomly allocated to one of three interventions (contact, education, advocacy) or a control video. The study found that each intervention was associated with changes to different components of stigma. Importantly, the education intervention increased labelling, but reduced stereotype endorsement and anger. Advocacy also reduced anger, attributions of character flaws, and anticipated discrimination and recoverability. While these interventions were generally effective at reducing stigma, the contact intervention was mixed, effectively intervening for some aspects of stigma, but increasing stigma on others. No single intervention reduced all aspects of stigma, suggesting that a complementary approach utilising specific elements of each intervention style could be used to deliver relevant information and effectively reduce stigma. Taken together, this suggests that research should be conducted into comprehensive, combined interventions, that include aspects of all three intervention styles, in an attempt to reduce more aspects of stigma simultaneously.

Black phosphorus electronics

As the scaling of silicon-based field-effect transistors has approached its physical limits, the search for alternative channel materials for future logic devices has attracted much attention. The discovery of graphene has unveiled another material family with layered structures called two-dimensional (2D) materials. Black phosphorus (BP), the most stable allotrope of phosphorus, was introduced as a new type of 2D material in 2014. Thanks to its high mobility, in-plane anisotropy and direct band gap, BP is considered to be a promising candidate for next-generation electronic and optoelectronic devices. Numerous studies have demonstrated the beneficial effects of introducing BP for device architectures. Herein, we present a review outlining recent progress towards high performance BP-based transistors. This review starts with the fundamental properties of BP, including its crystal structure, bandgap, and direct current (DC) and radio-frequency (RF) characteristics, followed by a detailed description of the modulation and application of those properties, involving anisotropy, functionalization and superlattices. Furthermore, we also discuss device design for high-performance transistors, with particular emphasis on interface engineering and device stability. Finally, we offer our perspective on the future of BP electronics, aiming to benefit colleagues who are interested in this exciting research field.

What HIRTS athletes? Establishing a unified public policy understanding of Head Impact-Related Trauma in Sport

Globally, concussions in sport now attract far greater concern than several decades ago. Yet, no international scientific consensus exists for defining 'concussion,' or for determining how many brain injuries caused by a contact sport constitute a sufficient public health threat to warrant improving policies. How can policymakers help coaches, players, and parents work with public health authorities and clinicians to identify concussions, and prevent and treat head injuries? Doing so will require language that helps distinguish among the multitude of conditions related to Head Impact-Related Trauma in Sport (HIRTS), including sport-related concussion, post-concussion syndrome, second impact syndrome, and neurodegenerative diseases such as chronic traumatic encephalopathy. We propose a 'HIRTS framework' to advance public policy pertaining to head impacts and their effects. Given the scientific ambiguities regarding the definition, diagnosis, and markers of concussion and resulting complications, we encourage international policymakers, clinicians, and public health officials to adopt the following working definitions and concomitant policy recommendations to safeguard athletes' health and optimize tracking efforts, public education, funding, and government services.

Effects of repetitive subconcussive head trauma on the neuropsychological test performance of high school athletes: A comparison of high, moderate, and low contact sports

The aim of this study was to examine the neuropsychological test results of non-concussed high school athletes playing at three different levels of contact sports. Based on the concussion risk data of 12 different sports, a High Contact group (n=2819; wrestling/martial arts, cheerleading, track and field, football), a Moderate Contact group (n=2323; softball, basketball, soccer), and a Low Contact group (n=1580; baseball, volleyball, water polo, tennis, cross-country) were formed and compared in terms of their scores on the Immediate Post-Concussion Assessment and Cognitive Testing (ImPACT). The results revealed that the High Contact group obtained small but statistically poorer performances in ImPACT Visual Memory, Visual Motor Speed, Impulse Control, and Total Symptom scores compared to the Moderate and Low Contact groups. The High Contact group also had poorer Reaction Time scores compared to the Low Contact group. No differences between the Moderate and Low Contact groups were noted. The findings, along with prior similar results, tentatively raise concerns that participant in high contact sports, exposed to repetitive subconcussive head trauma, may be at greater risk for lowered neuropsychological functioning and increased symptoms, compared to other high school athletes. In view of the preliminary nature of this investigation, more research into the effects of frequent head impacts in high school sports is strongly recommended.

Neural and behavioral markers of observed pain of older adults

To contribute to better understanding of empathy of younger adults for the pain of older adults, this study examined whether brain responses and behavioral ratings of young adult participants to the observed physical pain of older people differed from that to younger people. fMRI was used to measure participants' brain responses to seeing younger and older people receiving a painful compared with non-painful touch, while they rated both the level of perceived pain observed and their own level of personal discomfort from observing the painful touch. The young participants showed greater brain activation when observing younger versus older people receiving painful stimuli, and they rated the needle-touch to the younger people to appear more painful and more personally distressing. Furthermore, those participants reporting a greater level of contact with older adults at work showed less brain activation in the left insula cortex, a typical neural marker for observed pain, when observing painful touch to the older people. These have implications for understanding both the emotional responses and perception of pain of young adults when observing pain in the elderly.

School's Teachers Knowledge About Autism in Al-Badayacity, Al-Qassim Region, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

INTRODUCTION

The growing number of students with Autism will set challenge to school teachers to become better prepared to take the necessary action to serve and to assist children with autism.

AIM

The aim in this study was to assess the knowledge and attitude of school teachers regarding Autism Spectrum Disorder in Badaya city of Al-Qassim region, kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and to find out any differences in school teachers knowledge based on (gender, educational level, experience, contact with students with autism, type of school).

METHODS

a cross sectional study was conducted in Badaya City on school teachers from December 2017 until March 2018 to assess their knowledge about Autism spectrum disorder. Autism knowledge Questionnaire was completed by 248 school teachers participated in the research study, data was collected from answers of the 30 questions of the questionnaire for all participants, and analyzed using SPSS version 21.

RESULTS

total level of knowledge in our sample of school teachers was 48.7%, a statistical significant differences between school teachers' knowledge based on type of school, contact with children with autism favoring public schools p value=0.00, and previous contact with students with autism p value=0.03 which have higher level of knowledge. Educational level, grade of teaching, experience, gender did not significantly affect teachers' knowledge.

CONCLUSION

School teachers had a weak level of knowledge about Autism Spectrum disorder. Previous contact with students with autism definitely raises level of knowledge.

Identifying human encounters that shape the transmission of Streptococcus pneumoniae and other acute respiratory infections

Although patterns of social contacts are believed to be an important determinant of infectious disease transmission, it remains unclear how the frequency and nature of human interactions shape an individual's risk of infection. We analysed data on daily social encounters individually matched to data on S. pneumoniae carriage and acute respiratory symptoms (ARS), from 566 individuals who took part in a survey in South-West Uganda. We found that the frequency of physical (i.e. skin-to-skin), long (≥1 h) and household contacts - which capture some measure of close (i.e. relatively intimate) contact - was higher among pneumococcal carriers than non-carriers, and among people with ARS compared to those without, irrespective of their age. With each additional physical encounter the age-adjusted risk of carriage and ARS increased by 6% (95%CI 2-9%) and 7% (2-13%) respectively. In contrast, the number of casual contacts (<5 min long) was not associated with either pneumococcal carriage or ARS. A detailed analysis by age of contacts showed that the number of close contacts with young children (<5 years) was particularly higher among older children and adult carriers than non-carriers, while the higher number of contacts among people suffering from ARS was more homogeneous across contacts of all ages. Our findings provide key evidence that the frequency of close interpersonal contact is important for transmission of respiratory infections, but not that of casual contacts. Those results are essential for both improving disease prevention and control efforts as well as informing research on infectious disease dynamics and transmission models, and more studies should be undertaken to further validate our results.

Tissue-susceptibility matched carbon nanotube electrodes for magnetic resonance imaging

Test disk electrodes were fabricated from carbon nanotubes (CNT) using the Carbon Nanotube Templated Microfabrication (CNT-M) technique. The CNT-M process uses patterned growth of carbon nanotube forests from surfaces to form complex patterns, enabling electrode sizing and shaping. The additional carbon infiltration process stabilizes these structures for further processing and handling. At a macroscopic scale, the electrochemical, electrical and magnetic properties, and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) characteristics of the disk electrodes were investigated; their microstructure was also assessed. CNT disk electrodes showed electrical resistivity around 1 Ω·cm, charge storage capacity between 3.4 and 38.4 mC/cm², low electrochemical impedance and magnetic susceptibility of -5.9 to -8.1 ppm, closely matched to that of tissue (∼-9 ppm). Phantom MR imaging experiments showed almost no distortion caused by these electrodes compared with Cu and Pt-Ir reference electrodes, indicating the potential for significant improvement in accurate tip visualization.

Ultraviolet/ozone and oxygen plasma treatments for improving the contact of carbon nanotube thin film transistors

Carbon nanotube thin film transistor (CNT-TFT) is an emerging technology for future macroelectronics, such as chemical and biological sensors, optical detectors, and the backplane driving circuits for flat panel displays. The mostly reported fabrication method of CNT-TFT is a lift-off based photolithography process. In such fabrication process, photoresist (PR) residue contaminates the interface of tube-metal contact and deteriorates the device performance. In this paper, ultraviolet ozone (UVO) and oxygen plasma treatments were employed to remove the PR contamination. Through our well-designed experiments, the UVO treatment is confirmed an effective way of cleaning contamination at the tube-metal interface, while oxygen plasma treatment is too reactive and hard to control, which is not appropriate for CNT-TFTs. It is determined that 2-6 min UVO treatment is the preferred window, and the best optimized treatment time is 4 min, which leads to 15% enhancement of device performance.

Effect of interactions among individuals on the chemotaxis behaviours of Caenorhabditis elegans

In many species, individual social animals interact with others in their group and change their collective behaviours. For the solitary nematode Caenorhabditis elegans strain N2, previous research suggests that individuals can change the behaviour of other worms via pheromones and mechanosensory interactions. In particular, pheromones affect foraging behaviour, so that the chemotactic behaviours of individuals in a group (population) can be modulated by interactions with other individuals in the population. To investigate this, we directly compared the chemotactic behaviours of isolated (single) worms with those of individual animals within a population. We found that worms approached an odour source in a distinct manner depending on whether they were alone or in a population. Analysis of behaviours of the N2 worm and a pheromone production-defective mutant revealed that the 'pirouette' strategy was modulated by interaction of the worms via pheromones. Thus, pheromones play an important role in the characteristic collective behaviours seen in the population condition.

Collision activity during training increases total energy expenditure measured via doubly labelled water

PURPOSE

Collision sports are characterised by frequent high-intensity collisions that induce substantial muscle damage, potentially increasing the energetic cost of recovery. Therefore, this study investigated the energetic cost of collision-based activity for the first time across any sport.

METHODS

Using a randomised crossover design, six professional young male rugby league players completed two different 5-day pre-season training microcycles. Players completed either a collision (COLL; 20 competitive one-on-one collisions) or non-collision (nCOLL; matched for kinematic demands, excluding collisions) training session on the first day of each microcycle, exactly 7 days apart. All remaining training sessions were matched and did not involve any collision-based activity. Total energy expenditure was measured using doubly labelled water, the literature gold standard.

RESULTS

Collisions resulted in a very likely higher (4.96 ± 0.97 MJ; ES = 0.30 ± 0.07; p = 0.0021) total energy expenditure across the 5-day COLL training microcycle (95.07 ± 16.66 MJ) compared with the nCOLL training microcycle (90.34 ± 16.97 MJ). The COLL training session also resulted in a very likely higher (200 ± 102 AU; ES = 1.43 ± 0.74; p = 0.007) session rating of perceived exertion and a very likely greater (- 14.6 ± 3.3%; ES = - 1.60 ± 0.51; p = 0.002) decrease in wellbeing 24 h later.

CONCLUSIONS

A single collision training session considerably increased total energy expenditure. This may explain the large energy expenditures of collision-sport athletes, which appear to exceed kinematic training and match demands. These findings suggest fuelling professional collision-sport athletes appropriately for the "muscle damage caused" alongside the kinematic "work required".

A computational framework for simultaneous estimation of muscle and joint contact forces and body motion using optimization and surrogate modeling

Concurrent estimation of muscle activations, joint contact forces, and joint kinematics by means of gradient-based optimization of musculoskeletal models is hindered by computationally expensive and non-smooth joint contact and muscle wrapping algorithms. We present a framework that simultaneously speeds up computation and removes sources of non-smoothness from muscle force optimizations using a combination of parallelization and surrogate modeling, with special emphasis on a novel method for modeling joint contact as a surrogate model of a static analysis. The approach allows one to efficiently introduce elastic joint contact models within static and dynamic optimizations of human motion. We demonstrate the approach by performing two optimizations, one static and one dynamic, using a pelvis-leg musculoskeletal model undergoing a gait cycle. We observed convergence on the order of seconds for a static optimization time frame and on the order of minutes for an entire dynamic optimization. The presented framework may facilitate model-based efforts to predict how planned surgical or rehabilitation interventions will affect post-treatment joint and muscle function.

In vitro efficacy of five essential oils against Pediculus humanus capitis

Treatment of head lice has relied mainly on the use of topical insecticides. Today, conventional topical pediculicides have suffered considerable loss of activity worldwide. There is increasing interest in the use of natural products such as essential oils for head louse control, and many of them are now incorporated into various over-the-counter products presented as pediculicides, often without proper evaluation. The aim of the present study was to assess the in vitro efficacy of five essential oils against adults of Pediculus humanus capitis using a contact filter paper toxicity bioassay. The chemical composition of the essential oils from wild bergamot, clove, lavender, tea tree, and Yunnan verbena was analyzed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. All treatments and controls were replicated three times on separate occasions over a period of 11 months. In all, 1239 living lice were collected from the scalp of 51 subjects, aged from 1 to 69 years. Clove oil, diluted either in coco oil or sunflower oil, demonstrated the best adulticidal activity, reaching > 90% mortality within 2 h in lice submitted to a 30-min contact. Yunnan verbena oil diluted in coco oil showed also a significant efficacy. Other essential oils showed a lower efficacy. The oil's major component(s) differed according to the tested oils and appeared chemically diverse. In the case of clove oil, the eugenol appeared as the main component. This study confirmed the potential interest of some of the essential oils tested, but not all, as products to include possibly in a pediculicidal formulation.

Studying slippage on pushing applications with snake robots

In this paper, a framework for analyzing the motion resulting from the interaction between a snake robot and an object is shown. Metrics are derived to study the motion of the object and robot, showing that the addition of passive wheels to the snake robot helps to minimize slippage. However, the passive wheels do not have a significant impact on the force exerted onto the object. This puts snake robots in a similar framework as robotic arms, while considering special properties exclusive to snake robots (e.g., lack of a fixed-base, interaction with the environment through friction). It is also shown that the configuration (shape) of the snake robot, parameterized with the polar coordinates of the robot's COM, plays an important role in the interaction with the object. Two examples, a snake robot with two joints and another with three joints, are studied to show the applicability of the model.

[Who visits an ophthalmologist and how often? Results of the German nationwide adult health survey (DEGS1)]

BACKGROUND

The prevalence of eye diseases increases in the second half of life, especially cataract, glaucoma and age-related macular degeneration. In this study we examined the influencing factors for visiting an ophthalmologist in the last 12 months.

METHODS

Visits to an ophthalmologist's practice in the last 12 months and the frequency were surveyed in the German nationwide adult health survey wave 1 (DEGS1) study (baseline examination from 2008 to 2011, N = 7987, 52.6% women, age 18-79 years). Data on utilization were processed by taking the complex study design into consideration. Multivariable logistic regression analysis was used to determine associated factors including age, sex, socioeconomic status, place of residence, type of health insurance (e.g. statutory or private) and diabetes.

RESULTS

Between the ages of 18 and 79 years, 29.3% of survey participants in Germany visited an ophthalmologist in the last year, while after the age of 60 years this was only 50.4%. Multivariable logistic regression analysis showed an association with female sex (odds ratio OR = 1.51, p < 0.001), older age, type of health insurance (private vs. statutory: OR = 0.77, p = 0.006) and diabetes (OR = 3.84, p < 0.001), but no association with socioeconomic status (p = 0.29) or place of residence (p = 0.06).

CONCLUSION

Approximately one third of the German population visit an ophthalmologist at least once a year. Especially diabetics showed a high utilization of ophthalmological consultations, which could be based on the interdisciplinary guidelines for early detection of diabetic eye complications.

Trapeziometacarpal joint contact varies between men and women during three isometric functional tasks

Trapeziometacarpal (TMC) joint osteoarthritis (OA) affects women two to six times more than men, and is influenced by stresses and strains in the cartilage. The purpose of this study was to characterise sex and age differences in contact area and peak stress location of the healthy TMC joint during three isometric tasks including pinch, grasp and jar twist. CT images of the hand from 50 healthy adult men and women were used to create a statistical shape model that was used to create finite element models for each subject and task. Force-driven simulations were performed to evaluate cartilage contact area and peak stress location. We tested for sex and age differences using Principal Component Analysis, linear regression, and Linear Discriminant Analysis. We observed sex differences in peak stress location during pinch (p = .0206), grasp (p = .0264), and jar twist (p = .0484). The greatest sex differences were observed during jar twist, where 94% of peak stresses in men were located in the centre compared with 50% in the central-volar region in women. These findings show that peak stress locations are more variable in women during grasp and jar twist than men, and suggest that women may employ different strategies to perform these tasks.

Transfer of bacteriophage MS2 and fluorescein from N95 filtering facepiece respirators to hands: Measuring fomite potential

Contact transmission of pathogens from personal protective equipment is a concern within the healthcare industry. During public health emergency outbreaks, resources become constrained and the reuse of personal protective equipment, such as N95 filtering facepiece respirators, may be needed. This study was designed to characterize the transfer of bacteriophage MS2 and fluorescein between filtering facepiece respirators and the wearer's hands during three simulated use scenarios. Filtering facepiece respirators were contaminated with MS2 and fluorescein in droplets or droplet nuclei. Thirteen test subjects performed filtering facepiece respirator use scenarios including improper doffing, proper doffing and reuse, and improper doffing and reuse. Fluorescein and MS2 contamination transfer were quantified. The average MS2 transfer from filtering facepiece respirators to the subjects' hands ranged from 7.6-15.4% and 2.2-2.7% for droplet and droplet nuclei derived contamination, respectively. Handling filtering facepiece respirators contaminated with droplets resulted in higher levels of MS2 transfer compared to droplet nuclei for all use scenarios (p = 0.007). MS2 transfer from droplet contaminated filtering facepiece respirators during improper doffing and reuse was greater than transfer during improper doffing (p = 0.008) and proper doffing and reuse (p = 0.042). Droplet contamination resulted in higher levels of fluorescein transfer compared to droplet nuclei contaminated filtering facepiece respirators for all use scenarios (p = 0.009). Fluorescein transfer was greater for improper doffing and reuse (p = 0.007) from droplet contaminated masks compared to droplet nuclei contaminated filtering facepiece respirators and for improper doffing and reuse when compared improper doffing (p = 0.017) and proper doffing and reuse (p = 0.018) for droplet contaminated filtering facepiece respirators. For droplet nuclei contaminated filtering facepiece respirators, the difference in MS2 and fluorescein transfer did not reach statistical significance when comparing any of the use scenarios. The findings suggest that the results of fluorescein and MS2 transfer were consistent and highly correlated across the conditions of study. The data supports CDC recommendations for using proper doffing techniques and discarding filtering facepiece respirators that are directly contaminated with secretions from a cough or sneeze.

The differential effects of a focus on symptoms versus recovery in reducing stigma of schizophrenia

PURPOSE

We extend investigations of the impact of the content of video contact with an individual with schizophrenia on stigma reduction. We examine whether differential impacts persist over a 2-week period and the extent to which they are mediated by perceived similarity and feelings of empathy and/or sympathy.

METHOD

We used a randomized control trial wherein participants were exposed to a video in which an individual described his recovery from schizophrenia, or the same person described acute symptoms of schizophrenia, or a no-video control condition. Outcomes included impressions of and preferred social distance to the person in the video and people in general with schizophrenia and well as perceptions of similarity and feelings of sympathy and empathy. We also measured an overt behaviour, seating distance, at 2-week follow-up.

RESULTS

The recovery-focused material was generally more effective in improving impressions and reducing preferred level of social distance. Although the symptom-focused video resulted in great sympathy for the person, this did not translate into positive impressions or reduced social distance. Mediational analyses yielded findings consistent with the benefits of the recovery video being mediated by increased perceptions of similarity and lower feelings of sympathy. Exposure to the recovery-focused video resulted in less anxiety in anticipation of meeting the person in the video relative to the control condition.

CONCLUSIONS

Video contact emphasizing potential for recovery from schizophrenia was more effective in reducing stigmatizing responses than contact highlighting acute symptoms. Increased sympathy does not necessarily translate into reductions in stigma.

Dermal absorption of semivolatile organic compounds from the gas phase: Sensitivity of exposure assessment by steady state modeling to key parameters

Recent research has demonstrated the importance of dermal exposure for some semivolatile organic compounds (SVOCs) present in the gas phase of indoor air. Though models for estimating dermal intake from gaseous SVOCs exist, their predictions can be subject to variations in input parameters, which can lead to large variation in exposure estimations. In this sensitivity analysis for a steady state model, we aimed to assess these variations and their determinants using probabilistic Monte Carlo sampling for 8 SVOCs from different chemical families: phthalates, bisphenols, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), organophosphorus (OPs), organochlorines (OCs), synthetic musks, polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and polybromodiphenylethers (PBDEs). Indoor SVOC concentrations were found to be the most influential parameters. Both Henry's law constant (H) and octanol/water partition coefficient (K_ow) uncertainty also had significant influence. While exposure media properties such as volume fraction of organic matter in the particle phase (f_om-part), particle density (ρ_part), concentration ([TSP]) and transport coefficient (ɣ_d) had a slight influence for some compounds, human parameters such as body weight (W), body surface area (A) and daily exposure (t) make a marginal or null contribution to the variance of dermal intake for a given age group. Inclusion of a parameter sensitivity analysis appears essential to reporting uncertainties in dermal exposure assessment.

Acquisition of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) in contacts of patients newly identified as colonized or infected with MRSA in the immediate postexposure and postdischarge periods

The acquisition of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) after exposure to patients colonized or infected with MRSA was assessed. Among contacts with complete surveillance screening, the rate of acquisition was 5.7% and was lower in those identified postdischarge (17/683, 2.5%) compared with those tested in the immediate postexposure period (62/706, 8.8%).

Competitive sports participation in high school and subsequent substance use in young adulthood: Assessing differences based on level of contact

The objective of this analysis is to examine how participation in different types of competitive sports (based on level of contact) during high school is associated with substance use 1 to 4 years after the 12^th grade. The analysis uses nationally representative samples of 12^th graders from the Monitoring the Future Study who were followed 1 to 4 years after the 12^th grade. The longitudinal sample consisted of 970 12^th graders from six recent cohorts (2006-2011). The analyses found that respondents who participated in at least one competitive sport during the 12^th grade had greater odds of binge drinking during the past two weeks (AOR = 2.04; 95% CI = 1.43, 2.90) 1 to 4 years after the 12^th grade, when compared to their peers who did not participate in sports during their 12^th grade year. Moreover, respondents who participated in high-contact sports (i.e., football, ice hockey, lacrosse, and wrestling) had greater odds of binge drinking (AOR = 1.80; 95% CI = 1.18, 2.72) and engaging in marijuana use during the past 30 days (AOR = 1.81; 95% CI = 1.12, 2.93) 1 to 4 years after the 12^th grade when compared to their peers who did not participate in these types of sports during their 12^th grade year. Accordingly, the findings indicate important distinctions in sport participation experiences on long-term substance use risk that can help inform potential interventions among young athletes.