Ebola Preparedness Planning and Collaboration by Two Health Systems in Wisconsin, September to December 2014.

We describe the collaborative approach used by 2 health systems in Wisconsin to plan and prepare for the threat of Ebola virus disease. This was a descriptive study of the preparedness planning, infection prevention, and collaboration with public health agencies undertaken by 2 health systems in Wisconsin between September and December 2014. The preparedness approach used by the 2 health systems relied successfully on their robust infrastructure for planning and infection prevention. In the setting of rapidly evolving guidance and unprecedented fear regarding Ebola, the 2 health systems enhanced their response through collaboration and coordination with each other and government public health agencies. Key lessons learned included the importance of a rigorous planning process, robust infection prevention practices, and coalitions between public and private health sectors. The potential threat of Ebola virus disease stimulated emergency preparedness in which acute care facilities played a leading role in the public health response. Leveraging the existing expertise of health systems is essential when faced with emerging infectious diseases. (Disaster Med Public Health Preparedness. 2016;10:691-697).

Sensory overresponsivity: prenatal risk factors and temperamental contributions.

OBJECTIVE: The study addresses risk factors and cause of pediatric sensory over-responsivity (SOR) in a large sample of twins. At age 2 years, (a) the association of temperamental traits with concurrent SOR; (b) the association of prenatal complications with SOR; (c) the association of having a male cotwin with female SOR; and (d) the common and unique genetic causes of temperament and SOR symptoms are examined. METHODS: The sample included 1026 twin pairs (mean age = 2 years 2 months) from a population-based longitudinal study. Auditory and tactile SOR symptom domains were partially independent and thus were examined separately. RESULTS: Temperamental negative affect and fear were moderately correlated with auditory and tactile SOR symptoms. Prenatal complications significantly predicted tactile symptoms after controlling for child characteristics. In addition, females with a male cotwin showed greater SOR at age 2 years than same-sex female dizygotic twins, suggesting a possible risk associated with in utero testosterone exposure. Both auditory and tactile SOR domains were heritable. Bivariate genetic analyses showed that each SOR domain had a similar genetic relationship with fear and negative affect. CONCLUSION: The findings suggest partially nonoverlapping causes and risk factors for tactile versus auditory SOR and indicate that prenatal factors warrant further investigation.

Measurement of liquid and solid component parameters in canine vocal fold lamina propria.

This study aimed to measure solid and liquid component parameters for canine vocal fold lamina propria tissue, as is consistent with the solid and liquid fraction parameters in the context of the biphasic theory. A liquid-displacement apparatus was developed and utilized to estimate volumes of small samples of tissue. Accuracy was determined by calibrations with an object of known mass and density (copper). The experimental apparatus was then used to determine the volume of eight tissue samples, followed by an apparently complete dehydration of the samples, yielding the dry or solid tissue. The mass and volume fractions of the liquid component were sufficiently higher than those of the solid component. These results represent preliminary experimental evidence for the biphasic composition (solid-liquid) of canine lamina propria tissue as predicted in the biphasic theory. This study presents an effective experimental method to estimate some of the biphasic model parameters, and may provide a valuable application in exploring the viscoelastic behaviors of vocal fold lamina propria tissue.