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Gardening/yardwork over a lifetime is associated with less symptomatic knee osteoarthritis: data from the Osteoarthritis Initiative
No full textObjectives: Gardening/yardwork is one of the few physical activities with greater participation with age. We aimed to evaluate the relationship of gardening/yardwork with the prevalence of symptomatic knee osteoarthritis in the Osteoarthritis Initiative (OAI), a community-based cohort not recruited based on gardening/yardwork status.
Method: This is a retrospective cross-sectional study of OAI participants. A lifetime physical activity survey defined gardening/yardwork status. Posteroanterior semi-flexed knee radiographs were scored for Kellgren-Lawrence (KL) grade (0-4). Radiographic osteoarthritis (ROA) was defined as KL grade ≥ 2. Person-based definitions were used for frequent knee pain, ROA, and symptomatic ROA (SOA). Logistic regression analyses were performed with gardening/yardwork as the predictor, and the outcomes were frequent knee pain, ROA, and SOA adjusted for age and sex.
Results: Of 2607 participants, 56% were female, the mean age was 64.3 (SD 9.0) years, and the mean BMI was 28.5 (SD 4.9) kg/m2; 64% participated in gardening/yardwork at some time in their lives. Adjusted odds ratios of frequent knee pain, ROA, and SOA for those who participated in the activity compared to those who did not were 0.71 (95% CI 0.60-0.83), 0.75 (0.63-0.88), and 0.71 (0.60-0.85), respectively.
Conclusion: Gardening/yardwork is a common leisure physical activity. Those who participated in gardening/yardwork were less likely to have frequent knee pain, ROA, and SOA, suggesting that it is good for overall knee health. The implications from a public health perspective are potentially substantial. Our findings support a possible recommendation to the general public that participation in gardening/yardwork, an activity already commonly practiced among those at highest risk for OA, might also have benefits from a knee health perspective. Key Points • Those who did gardening/yardwork were less likely to have frequent knee pain, ROA, and SOA. • A higher frequency of activity was associated with improved outcomes. • Participation in gardening/yardwork, an activity already commonly practiced among those at highest risk for the OA, might also have benefits from a knee health perspective.No embarg
UMCCTS Newsletter, July 2025
Get PDFThis is the July 2025 issue of the UMass Center for Clinical and Translational Science Newsletter containing news and events of interest.Supported by the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences, National Institutes of Health, through Grants UL1 TR001453, TL1 TR001454 and KL2 TR001455.No embarg
Capsid transfer of the retrotransposon Copia controls structural synaptic plasticity in Drosophila
No full textTransposons are parasitic genome elements that can also serve as raw material for the evolution of new cellular functions. However, how retrotransposons are selected and domesticated by host organisms to modulate synaptic plasticity remains largely unknown. Here, we show that the Ty1 retrotransposon Copia forms virus-like capsids in vivo and transfers between cells. Copia is enriched at the Drosophila neuromuscular junction (NMJ) and transported across synapses, and disrupting its expression promotes both synapse development and structural synaptic plasticity. We show that proper synaptic plasticity is maintained in Drosophila by the balance of Copia and the Arc1 (activity-regulated cytoskeleton-associated protein) homolog. High-resolution cryogenic-electron microscopy imaging shows that the structure of the Copia capsid has a large capacity and pores like retroviruses but is distinct from domesticated capsids such as dArc1. Our results suggest a fully functional transposon mediates synaptic plasticity, possibly representing an early stage of domestication of a retrotransposon.No embarg
Nurse PATHIT: An Adapted Framework for Nurse Support for Patient Activation Through Health Information Technology
No full textAims: This article presents an adapted framework that integrates the Patient Health Engagement (PHE) model with Orem's Nursing Systems theory. The framework highlights the nursing role in encouraging Health Information Technology (HIT) tools, such as secure messaging and patient portals, to enhance patient activation and support their self-care capabilities, particularly in chronic disease management aided by nursing actions.
Background: Despite HIT's role in improving patient care and the increased government incentives for its adoption, utilisation remains low due to various sociodemographic factors and psychosocial factors. The nursing discipline addresses these factors in its practice and thus could facilitate the use of HIT-related tools for patients. We propose an adapted framework embedded in nursing priorities for building self-care agencies in patients centred around HIT use.
Methods: We aligned Orem's nursing system model and PHE model to propose an adapted Nurse PATHIT framework that provides actions and considerations for nursing discipline to target the HIT tools for enhancement of patient activation in chronic care engagement based on patient's readiness.
Results: The integration of the PHE model with Nursing System theory offers a framework for promoting HIT use as one of the tools for managing chronic diseases by building self-care agency in patients. Three of the four stages of the PHE model-blackout, arousal and adhesion-correspond to the wholly compensatory, partially compensatory and supportive approaches within Nursing Systems theory.
Conclusion: Adapting the PHE model with Orem's Nursing System theory in the form of Nurse PATHIT creates a comprehensive framework for nurses to encourage the use of HIT tools in chronic disease management. Future research on patient-centred outcomes using HIT can test this framework by incorporating support and motivation for HIT use for patients as one of the tools to actively engage patients in nursing care planning to increase patients' self-care agency.No embarg
Assessing the Intercultural Competence of Faculty in Academic Medicine and Health Professions: Concepts and Metrics
Get PDFIntroduction: Diverse perspectives are considered essential for achieving the best science and education in biomedicine. To evaluate attitudes and abilities necessary to achieve the benefits of drawing on diverse perspectives, we assessed five novel metrics: Valuing Diversity: Attitudes and Behaviors, Antisexism and Antiracism Skills, Change Agency for Equity, Identity Self-Awareness, and Cognitive Empathy.
Methods: Using the C-Change Faculty Survey we surveyed faculty in medical and other health profession schools. Psychometric evaluation included: internal consistency, exploratory factor analysis, multiple indicator multiple causes (MIMIC) modeling, item response theory (IRT) analysis, and differential item functioning (DIF) analysis.
Results: Sample: 3,724 faculty at medical schools and 591 at other health profession schools; male: 2,193; female: 1,901; 757 were underrepresented by race and ethnicity; 3,290 faculty were adequately represented; mean response rate: 60%. All five scales showed excellent internal consistency. Each scale was well characterized by a unitary factor. MIMIC analysis on three scales demonstrated a three-factor structure. IRT demonstrated strong measurement properties, although DIF between underrepresented and non-underrepresented groups, and males and females was evident.
Conclusions and significance: The conceptual model presented and these psychometrically strong scales will prove useful for institutions looking to evaluate objectively faculty intercultural competence and address health equity.No embarg
Intravenous Thrombolysis in Distal Medium Middle Cerebral Artery Occlusion Patients with Unsuccessful Mechanical Reperfusion
No full textBACKGROUND: The efficacy and safety of intravenous thrombolysis (IVT) in acute ischemic stroke (AIS) patients undergoing mechanical thrombectomy (MT) for distal, medium vessel occlusions (DMVO) is not well established. This study investigates whether IVT impacts outcomes in DMVO patients, particularly in those with unsuccessful or partial recanalization after MT.
METHODS: We conducted a retrospective, multicenter study using data from the Multicenter Analysis of primary Distal medium vessel occlusions: effect of Mechanical Thrombectomy (MAD-MT) registry. The study population included AIS patients with DMVO in the M2, M3, and M4 segments of the MCA, treated with or without IVT followed by MT and a final modified Thrombolysis in Cerebral Infarction (mTICI) score of 0, 1, or 2a. The primary outcome was functional independence, assessed by the 90-day modified Rankin Scale (mRS) of 0-1 or 0-2.
RESULTS: The study comprised 210 patients with final mTICI 0 to 2a, with 130 undergoing MT alone and 80 receiving IVT followed by MT. Logistic regression analysis revealed no significant differences in clinical outcomes between groups. The odds ratios (ORs) for achieving a 90-day mRS of 0-1 and 0-2 were 1.55 (95% CI 0.62 to 3.87; p = 0.34) and 1.55 (95% CI 0.72 to 3.37; p = 0.26), respectively. The odds of symptomatic intracerebral hemorrhage (sICH) were similar between groups (OR 0.64, 95% CI 0.28 to 1.47; p = 0.29), as were the odds of intracranial hemorrhage (ICH) of any type (OR 1.39, 95% CI 0.71 to 2.73; p = 0.34).
CONCLUSIONS: In AIS patients with DMVO and unsuccessful or partial recanalization after MT, IVT did not significantly improve clinical outcomes. Additionally, IVT did not increase the risk of hemorrhagic complications. These findings suggest that while IVT preceding MT is safe in this context, it may not improve outcomes for patients with unsuccessful MT.No embarg
Changes to Parental Consent Requirements for Abortion in Massachusetts and Impact on Timeliness of Care for Adolescents Aged 16 to 17 Years
No full textTo measure the effect of the ROE Act on abortion timing for adolescents aged 16 to 17 years in Massachusetts. The primary outcome was gestational duration at abortion for individuals aged 16 to 19 years at Planned Parenthood League of Massachusetts from 2017 to 2022. Our control group included individuals aged 18 to 19 years undergoing abortions. In our primary analysis, we used a comparative interrupted time series with a linear model to capture temporal trends, seasonality, whether an abortion was undergone during the acute phase of the COVID-19 pandemic, previous abortion, and race/ethnicity categories. Minors aged 16 to 17 years underwent 749 abortions during the study. Individuals aged 18 to 19 years underwent 2773 abortions. The ROE Act resulted in a 5.46-day decrease in gestational duration at abortion among minors (95% confidence interval = -11.82, 0.91). Removal of the parental involvement requirement for adolescents aged 16 to 17 years in Massachusetts led to minors undergoing abortions at earlier gestational durations, highlighting the importance of potential impacts of similar legislation to decrease barriers to abortion access for minors. (. 2025;115(3):397-402. https://doi.org/10.2105/AJPH.2024.307918).No embarg
UMCCTS Newsletter, June 2024
Get PDFThis is the June 2024 issue of the UMass Center for Clinical and Translational Science Newsletter containing news and events of interest.Supported by the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences, National Institutes of Health, through Grants UL1 TR001453, TL1 TR001454 and KL2 TR001455
A Novel Druggable Dual-Specificity tYrosine-Regulated Kinase3/Calmodulin Kinase-like Vesicle-Associated Signaling Module with Therapeutic Implications in Neuroblastoma
Get PDFHigh-risk neuroblastoma is a very aggressive pediatric cancer, accounting for ~15% of childhood cancer mortality. Therefore, novel therapeutic strategies for the treatment of neuroblastoma are urgently sought. Here, we focused on the potential implications of the Dual-specificity tYrosine-Regulated Kinase (DYRK) family and downstream signaling pathways. We used bioinformatic analysis of public datasets from neuroblastoma cohorts and cell lines to search correlations between patient survival and expression of kinases. Additionally, we performed biochemical, molecular, and cellular approaches to validate and characterize our observations, as well as an in vivo orthotopic murine model of neuroblastoma. We identified the DYRK3 kinase as a critical mediator of neuroblastoma cell proliferation and in vivo tumor growth. DYRK3 has recently emerged as a key regulator of several biomolecular condensates and has been linked to the hypoxic response of neuroblastoma cells. Our data suggest a role for DYRK3 as a regulator of the neuroblastoma-specific protein CAMKV, which is also required for neuroblastoma cell proliferation. CAMKV is a very understudied member of the Ca/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase family, originally described as a pseudokinase. We show that CAMKV is phosphorylated by DYRK3, and that inhibition of DYRK3 kinase activity induces CAMKV aggregation, probably mediated by its highly disordered C-terminal half. Importantly, we provide evidence that the DYRK3/CAMKV signaling module could play an important role for the function of the mitotic spindle during cell division. Our data strongly support the idea that inhibition of DYRK3 and/or CAMKV in neuroblastoma cells could constitute an innovative and highly specific intervention to fight against this dreadful cancer.No embarg
Endovascular therapy versus best medical management in distal medium middle cerebral artery acute ischaemic stroke: a multinational multicentre propensity score-matched study
No full textBackground: The efficacy of endovascular treatment (EVT) in acute ischaemic stroke due to distal medium vessel occlusion (DMVO) remains uncertain. Our study aimed to evaluate the safety and efficacy of EVT compared with the best medical management (BMM) in DMVO.
Methods: In this prospectively collected, retrospectively reviewed, multicentre cohort study, we analysed data from the Multicentre Analysis of primary Distal medium vessel occlusions: effect of Mechanical Thrombectomy registry. Patients with acute ischaemic stroke due to DMVO in the M2, M3 and M4 segments who underwent EVT or received BMM were included. Primary outcome measures comprised 10 co-primary endpoints, including functional independence (mRS 0-2), excellent outcome (mRS 0-1), mortality (mRS 6) and haemorrhagic complications. Propensity score matching was employed to balance the cohorts.
Results: Among 2125 patients included in the primary analysis, 1713 received EVT and 412 received BMM. After propensity score matching, each group comprised 391 patients. At 90 days, no significant difference was observed in achieving mRS 0-2 between EVT and BMM (adjusted OR 1.00, 95% CI 0.67 to 1.50, p>0.99). However, EVT was associated with higher rates of symptomatic intracerebral haemorrhage (8.4% vs 3.0%, adjusted OR 3.56, 95% CI 1.69 to 7.48, p<0.001) and any intracranial haemorrhage (37% vs 19%, adjusted OR 2.61, 95% CI 1.81 to 3.78, p<0.001). Mortality rates were similar between groups (13% in both, adjusted OR 1.48, 95% CI 0.87 to 2.51, p=0.15).
Conclusion: Our findings suggest that while EVT does not significantly improve functional outcomes compared with BMM in DMVO, it is associated with higher risks of haemorrhagic complications. These results support a cautious approach to the use of EVT in DMVO and highlight the need for further prospective randomised trials to refine treatment strategies