Care ally-assisted massage for Veterans with chronic neck pain: TOMCATT results.

PURPOSE: Chronic neck pain (CNP) is prevalent and challenging to treat. Despite evidence of massage's effectiveness for CNP, multiple accessibility barriers exist. The Trial Outcomes for Massage: Care Ally-Assisted vs. Therapist Treated (TOMCATT) study examined a care ally-assisted massage (CA-M) approach compared to a waitlist control prior to a study design modification (WL-C0). METHODS: CA-M consisted of in-person training for veteran/care-ally dyads to learn a standardized 30-minue massage routine, instructional DVD, and printed treatment manual. Participants were to complete three care ally-assisted massage sessions weekly for 12-weeks. Outcomes collected at baseline, 1-, 3-, and 6-months included validated measures of neck pain severity and associated disability. Linear mixed-model approaches were used for analysis with 3-months as the primary outcome timepoint. RESULTS: Participants (N = 203) were 56.7 ± 14 years old, 75% White, 15% female, and 75% married/partnered. Among 102 CA-M participants, 45% did not attend the in-person training and subsequently withdrew from the study and were more likely to be younger (p = .016) and employed (p = .004). Compared to WL-C0, CA-M participants had statistically significant reductions in pain-related disability at 3-months (-3.4, 95%CI = [-5.8, -1.0]; p = .006) and 6-months (-4.6, 95%CI = [-7.0, -2.1]; p < .001) and pain severity at 3-months (-1.3, 95%CI = [-1.9, -0.8]; p < .001) and 6-months (-1.0, 95%CI = [-1.6, -0.4]; p = .007), respectively. CONCLUSION: In this analysis, CA-M led to greater reductions in CNP with disability and pain severity compared to WL-C0, despite treatment engagement and retention challenges. Future work is needed to determine how to better engage Veterans and their care-allies to attend CA-M training.

Wigner Near-Threshold Effects in the Photoelectron Angular Distribution of NO2.

High-resolution velocity map imaged photoelectron spectra of the nitrite anion NO2- are measured over a range of photodetachment wavelengths between 355 and 550 nm, resolving the vibrational and rotational structure of the NO2(X̃2A1) + e- ← NO2-(X̃1A1) + hν transition. A full rotational band model is constructed to define the spectroscopic constants of both the neutral and the lesser studied anion ground states. The corresponding photoelectron angular distributions are characterized by a large positive anisotropy parameter, with ß ≈ 1.5 gradually increasing to ß ≈ 1.7 upon approaching the threshold. However, at very low kinetic energies, within 0.1 eV of the threshold, ß dramatically drops to 0. This behavior is a consequence of the Wigner near-threshold selectivity of the electron partial-wave cross sections, whereby an atomic p-like orbital character adjacent to the threshold is favored. The full kinetic energy dependence of ß is reproduced by a new mixed spd orbital model, yielding a NO2-(X̃1A1) molecular-orbital decomposition of 2% p, 44% s, and 54% d character.

The dicarbon bonding puzzle viewed with photoelectron imaging.

Bonding in the ground state of C[Formula: see text] is still a matter of controversy, as reasonable arguments may be made for a dicarbon bond order of [Formula: see text], [Formula: see text], or [Formula: see text]. Here we report on photoelectron spectra of the C[Formula: see text] anion, measured at a range of wavelengths using a high-resolution photoelectron imaging spectrometer, which reveal both the ground [Formula: see text] and first-excited [Formula: see text] electronic states. These measurements yield electron angular anisotropies that identify the character of two orbitals: the diffuse detachment orbital of the anion and the highest occupied molecular orbital of the neutral. This work indicates that electron detachment occurs from predominantly [Formula: see text]-like ([Formula: see text]) and [Formula: see text]-like ([Formula: see text]) orbitals, respectively, which is inconsistent with the predictions required for the high bond-order models of strongly [Formula: see text]-mixed orbitals. This result suggests that the dominant contribution to the dicarbon bonding involves a double-bonded configuration, with 2[Formula: see text] bonds and no accompanying [Formula: see text] bond.

NOO Peroxy Isomer Exposed with Velocity-Map Imaging.

The chemistry of NO2, a key atmospheric trace gas, has historically been interpreted in terms of the C2v isomer ONO, with the peroxy isomer NOO only postulated to be stable. In this work, a velocity-map-imaged photoelectron spectrum of the nitrite anion, NO2-, reveals energetic-electron structure that may only occur by photodetachment from the NOO-(X̃1A') isomer. This measurement defines NOO(X̃2A') bond frequencies and an electron affinity of only 335(30) cm-1, which, supported by ab initio calculations, confirm the first observation of this important reactive species.

Formative research for interventions among adolescents at high risk for gonorrhea and other STDs.

The gonorrhea infection rate among 15-19 year olds during 1993-1994 in an urban Upstate New York community was nearly twice the national norm. More than 50% of all the gonorrhea cases were concentrated in eight census tracts. This study was conducted to provide data regarding sexually transmitted diseases among high risk adolescents to increase successful public health interventions. The methodology consisted of six focus groups and a self-administered survey. The results determined the extent of accurate knowledge, their risk behaviors and beliefs, the barriers to treatment, and suggested interventions for clinic services and health education.