Background: Individuals with acute-onset central nervous system (CNS) injury, including stroke, motor incomplete spinal cord injury, or traumatic brain injury, often experience lasting locomotor defi cits, as quantifi ed by decreases in gait speed and distance walked over a specifi c duration (timed distance). The goal of the present clinical practice guideline was to delineate the relative effi cacy of various interventions to improve walking speed and timed distance in ambulatory individuals greater than 6 months following these specifi c diagnoses. Methods: A systematic review of the literature published between 1995 and 2016 was performed in 4 databases for randomized controlled clinical trials focused on these specifi c patient populations, at least 6 months postinjury and with specifi c outcomes of walking speed and timed distance. For all studies, specifi c parameters of training interventions including frequency, intensity, time, and type were detailed as possible. Recommendations were determined on the basis of the strength of the evidence and the potential harm, risks, or costs of providing a specifi c training paradigm, particularly when another intervention may be available and can provide greater benefi t. Results: Strong evidence indicates that clinicians should offer walking training at moderate to high intensities or virtual reality-based training to ambulatory individuals greater than 6 months following acuteonset CNS injury to improve walking speed or distance. In contrast, weak evidence suggests that strength training, circuit (ie, combined) training or cycling training at moderate to high intensities, and virtual reality-based balance training may improve walking speed and distance in these patient groups. Finally, strong evidence suggests that body weight-supported treadmill training, robotic-assisted training, or sitting/standing balance training without virtual reality should not be performed to improve walking speed or distance in ambulatory individuals greater than 6 months following acute-onset CNS injury to improve walking speed or distance.

IMPORTANCE Individually designed single-patient multi-crossover (n-of-1) trials can facilitate tailoring of treatments directed at various conditions, including chronic musculoskeletal pain (CMSP) but are potentially burdensome, which may limit uptake in research and practice.OBJECTIVES To determine whether patients randomized to participate in an n-of-1 trial supported by a mobile health (mHealth) app would experience less pain and improved global health, adherence, satisfaction, and shared decision making compared with patients assigned to usual care. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTSThis randomized clinical trial compared participation in an individualized, mHealth-supported n-of-1 trial vs usual care. The participating 215 patients had CMSP for at least 6 weeks, had a smartphone or tablet with a data plan, were enrolled in northern California from July 2014 through July 2016, and were followed for up to 1 year by 48 clinicians in academic, community, Veterans Affairs, and military settings.INTERVENTIONS Intervention patients met with their clinicians and used a desktop interface to select treatments and trial parameters for an n-of-1 trial comparing 2 pain-management regimens. The mHealth app provided reminders to take designated treatments on assigned days and to upload responses to daily questions on pain and treatment-associated adverse effects. Control patients received care as usual. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURESThe primary outcome was change in the PROMIS (Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System) pain-related interference 8-item short-form scale (full scale range, 41-78) from baseline to 6 months. Secondary outcomes included patient-reported pain intensity, overall health, analgesic adherence, trust in clinician, satisfaction with care, medication-related shared decision making, and, for the n-of-1 group only, participant engagement and experience. RESULTS Among 215 patients (108 randomized to the n-of-1 intervention and 107 to control), 102 (47%) were women, and the mean (SD) age was 55.5 (11.1) years. At the 6-month follow-up, pain interference was reduced in both groups, though there was no difference between the intervention and control groups (−1.36 points; 95% CI, −2.91 to 0.19 points; P = .09). There were no advantages in secondary outcomes for intervention patients vs control patients except for higher medication-related shared decision making at 6 months (between-group difference, 11.9 points; 95% CI, 2.6-21.2 points; P = .01). Among patients assigned to the n-of-1 group, 88% (n = 86) affirmed that the mHealth app could help people like them manage their pain. CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCEIn this population of patients with CMSP, mHealth-supported n-of-1 trials were feasible and associated with a satisfactory user experience, but n-of-1 trial participation did not significantly improve pain interference at 6 months vs usual care.TRIAL REGISTRATION ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT02116621

The low grade inflammatory state present in obesity promotes the progression of Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease (NAFLD). In Non-Alcoholic Steatohepatitis (NASH), augmented hepatic steatosis is accompanied by aberrant intrahepatic inflammation and exacerbated hepatocellular injury. NASH is an important disorder and can lead to fibrosis, cirrhosis and even neoplasia. The pathology of NASH involves a complex network of mechanisms, including increased infiltration of different subsets of immune cells, such as monocytes, T-lymphocytes and neutrophils, to the liver, as well as activation and in situ expansion of liver resident cells such as Kupffer cells or stellate cells. In this review, we summarize recent advances regarding understanding the role of the various cells of the innate and adaptive immunity in NASH development and progression, and discuss possible future therapeutic options and tools to interfere with disease progression.

Mobile phones and devices, with their constant presence, data connectivity, and multiple intrinsic sensors, can support around-the-clock chronic disease prevention and management that is integrated with daily life. These mobile health (mHealth) devices can produce tremendous amounts of location-rich, real-time, high-frequency data. Unfortunately, these data are often full of bias, noise, variability, and gaps. Robust tools and techniques have not yet been developed to make mHealth data more meaningful to patients and clinicians. To be most useful, health data should be sharable across multiple mHealth applications and connected to electronic health records. The lack of data sharing and dearth of tools and techniques for making sense of health data are critical bottlenecks limiting the impact of mHealth to improve health outcomes. We describe Open mHealth, a nonprofit organization that is building an open software architecture to address these data sharing and “sense-making” bottlenecks. Our architecture consists of open source software modules with well-defined interfaces using a minimal set of common metadata. An initial set of modules, called InfoVis, has been developed for data analysis and visualization. A second set of modules, our Personal Evidence Architecture, will support scientific inferences from mHealth data. These Personal Evidence Architecture modules will include standardized, validated clinical measures to support novel evaluation methods, such as n-of-1 studies. All of Open mHealth’s modules are designed to be reusable across multiple applications, disease conditions, and user populations to maximize impact and flexibility. We are also building an open community of developers and health innovators, modeled after the open approach taken in the initial growth of the Internet, to foster meaningful cross-disciplinary collaboration around new tools and techniques. An open mHealth community and architecture will catalyze increased mHealth efficiency, effectiveness, and innovation.

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This study explored the differences between adolescent boys and girls and their tendency to accept the influence of others. This is important when considering not only one’s path in life but also the implications for independence and having an equal voice in a civil society. The study measured authenticity in 306 adolescent Maasai boys and girls and found that boys are significantly more likely to accept external influence than girls. Accepting external influence is inversely correlated with authenticity, a character strength linked with mental health and well-being, and arguably needed for democratic societies to flourish. Furthermore, unquestioned adherence to external social inductions serves to maintain the status quo and prevents responsiveness to needed change. The embodiment of authenticity is crucial for its actualization and takes place in the context of relationships. Schools represent a microcosm of the larger society and provide a window into different cultural practices and, as such, represent opportunities for transformation. The study discussed the social implications of these ideas, and the role Kenyan teachers play in the advancement of gender justice.

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