Genetics of neurosarcoidosis.

Sarcoidosis is a systemic, inflammatory, granulomatous disease characterized by great variability in organ involvement, clinical course, and severity. While pulmonary manifestations are almost universal, the central and peripheral nervous systems can also be affected. Neurosarcoidosis occurs in ∼5-15% of cases and is among the manifestations with the highest morbidity and mortality. It is known that sarcoidosis has genetic underpinnings and while multiple studies aimed at identifying associations to sarcoidosis susceptibility and prognosis, very few studies have focused on neurosarcoidosis. This review summarizes the genetic studies to date, compares and contrasts those findings with other genetic effects in sarcoidosis, and offers ideas for moving the field forward.

Breastfeeding: The Basics, the History, and Barriers in the Modern Day.

Importance: The scientific benefits of breastfeeding for the parent and baby are clear, but the goal is often simplified to "breast is best." Patients' decisions to breastfeed are more nuanced than this approach implies, and it is essential for providers to understand other factors that contribute to this complex decision. Objective: We reviewed the current literature of the health benefits of breastfeeding, local and global breastfeeding trends and current disparities, and the historical, political, and social factors that influence a patient's decision to breastfeed. Evidence Acquisition: Original research articles, review articles, and guidelines on breastfeeding were reviewed. Results: Rates of breastfeeding have increased in the United States and globally after public health interventions, but significant disparities persist. Numerous factors influence a patient's decision to breastfeed including the medical benefits, formula marketing campaigns, historical connections to slavery and oppression, limited societal support for working parents, mental or physical health concerns, previous sexual abuse or trauma, gender identity, and others. Conclusions and Relevance: Understanding both the medical importance of breastfeeding and the various other factors that influence a patient's decision or ability to breastfeed is essential for counseling patients before delivery. Providers have a responsibility to navigate this complex conversation with patients to empower them to make an informed decision that works for them.

Dynamics of prion proliferation under combined treatment of pharmacological chaperones and interferons.

Prions are proteins that cause fatal neurodegenerative diseases. The misfolded conformation adopted by prions can be transmitted to other normally folded proteins. Therapeutics to stop prion proliferation have been studied experimentally; however, it is not clear how the combination of different types of treatments can decrease the growth rate of prions in the brain. In this article, we combine the implementation of pharmacological chaperones and interferons to develop a novel model using a non-linear system of ordinary differential equations and study the quantitative effects of these two treatments on the growth rate of prions. This study aims to identify how the two treatments affect prion proliferation, both individually and in tandem. We analyze the model, and qualitative global results on the disease-free and disease equilibria are proved analytically. Numerical simulations, using parameter values from in vivo experiments that provide a pharmaceutically important demonstration of the effects of these two treatments, are presented here. This mathematical model can be used to identify and optimize the best combination of the treatments within their safe ranges.

Interdisciplinary Treatment of Functional Neurological Symptom Disorder in an Inpatient Rehabilitation Setting: A Case Report.

Inpatient rehabilitation (IR) units represent a unique opportunity to provide comprehensive, wraparound care for typically treatment resistant Functional Neurologic Symptom Disorder (FNSD) or conversion disorder. The case report presents one example of an IR program for a patient with FNSD-based cataplexia and paralysis symptoms. Orienting an FNSD-naïve staff and an operant behavioral-based treatment approach are discussed. Included are recommendations for use in an IR setting.

An integrative affect regulation process model of internalized weight bias and intuitive eating in college women.

The present study extended the weight stigma and well-being process model (Tylka et al., 2014) by examining three affect regulation pathways that may help simultaneously explain the predicted inverse association between internalized weight bias and intuitive eating. A weight-diverse sample of 333 college women completed an online survey assessing internalized weight stigma, intuitive eating, body shame, body image flexibility, and self-compassion. Self-reported height and weight were used to calculate body mass index (BMI). Non-parametric bootstrap resampling procedures were computed to ascertain the presence of the indirect effects of internalized weight bias on intuitive eating via the three hypothesized mediators controlling for BMI in a combined model. Results demonstrated that body image flexibility significantly and self-compassion marginally contributed unique variance in accounting for this relationship. Our preliminary cross-sectional findings contribute to a nascent body of scholarship seeking to provide a theoretically-driven understanding of how negative and positive forms of experiencing and relating to the body may co-occur within individuals. Results also point to potential target variables to consider incorporating in later-stage efforts to promote more adaptive ways of eating amidst internalized weight stigma.

A preliminary evaluation of BMI status in moderating changes in body composition and eating behavior in ethnically-diverse first-year college women.

The present pilot investigation explored whether BMI status at college entry moderated changes in body composition and eating behavior in a sample of 134 first-time, first-year undergraduate females (40% Black/African American). Participants had their body measurements [i.e. weight, BMI, hip and waist circumference (WC), percent body fat (PBF)] assessed and completed self-report measures of binge eating, night eating, and intuitive eating at both the beginning of the fall and the beginning of the spring semesters of their first year. Results for the 83 completers revealed that overweight/obese students (N=28) experienced greater gains in weight (p<0.05), BMI (p<0.05), and a trend towards increased WCs (p<0.06) across the first college semester relative to their underweight/normal weight peers (N=55). Night eating increased (p<0.05) and intuitive eating declined (p<0.05) over time in the full sample. Overweight/obese participants indexed greater binge eating scores (p<0.001) and lower intuitive eating scores (p<0.01) irrespective of time. Most anthropometric findings were diminished while all eating behavior estimates were retained in subsequent models adjusted for parental income. Preliminary results call attention to the need for continued elucidation of the roles of socioeconomic and regional diversity in affecting both the prevalence of overweight/obesity and the relationship between higher weight and body composition changes among first-year college women. Findings also provide tentative behavioral targets for college wellness programming that may prove useful in promoting healthy weight management while acclimating to the college environment.