University of Vermont

About: University of Vermont is a education organization based out in Burlington, Vermont, United States. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Population & Poison control. The organization has 17592 authors who have published 38251 publications receiving 1609874 citations. The organization is also known as: UVM & University of Vermont and State Agricultural College.

Mindfulness Meditation May Lessen Anxiety, Promote Social Skills, and Improve Academic Performance Among Adolescents With Learning Disabilities

Abstract: Students with learning disabilities (LD; defined by compromised academic performance) often have higher levels of anxiety, school-related stress, and less optimal social skills compared with their typically developing peers. Previous health research indicates that meditation and relaxation training may be effective in reducing anxiety and promoting social skills. This pilot study used a pre—post no-control design to examine feasibility of, attitudes toward, and outcomes of a 5-week mindfulness meditation intervention administered to 34 adolescents diagnosed with LD. Postintervention survey responses overwhelmingly expressed positive attitudes toward the program. All outcome measures showed significant improvement, with participants who completed the program demonstrating decreased state and trait anxiety, enhanced social skills, and improved academic performance. Although not directly assessed, the outcomes are consistent with a cognitive-interference model of learning disability and suggest that mindfuln...

Vitamin D Supplementation and Prevention of Type 2 Diabetes

Abstract: Background Observational studies support an association between a low blood 25-hydroxyvitamin D level and the risk of type 2 diabetes. However, whether vitamin D supplementation lowers the...

The geometry of the tibial plateau and its influence on the biomechanics of the tibiofemoral joint.

Abstract: Background: The geometry of the tibial plateau is complex and asymmetric. Previous research has characterized subject-to-subject differences in the tibial plateau geometry in the sagittal plane on the basis of a single parameter, the posterior slope. We hypothesized that (1) there are large subject-to-subject variations in terms of slopes, the depth of concavity of the medial plateau, and the extent of convexity of the lateral plateau; (2) medial tibial slope and lateral tibial slope are different within subjects; (3) there are sex-based differences in the slopes as well as concavities and convexities of the tibial plateau; and (4) age is not associated with any of the measured parameters. Methods: The medial, lateral, and coronal slopes and the depth of the osseous portion of the tibial plateau were measured with use of sagittal and coronal magnetic resonance images that were made for thirty-three female and twenty-two male subjects, and differences between the sexes with respect to these four parameters were assessed. Within-subject differences between the medial and lateral tibial slopes also were assessed. Correlation tests were performed to examine the existence of a linear relationship between various slopes as well as between slopes and subject age. Results: The range of subject-to-subject variations in the tibial slopes was substantive for males and females. However, the mean medial and lateral tibial slopes in female subjects were greater than those in male subjects (p < 0.05). In contrast, the mean coronal tibial slope in female subjects was less than that in male subjects (p < 0.05). The correlation between medial and lateral tibial slopes was poor. The within-subject difference between medial and lateral tibial slopes was significant (p < 0.05). No difference in medial tibial plateau depth was found between the sexes. The subchondral bone on the lateral part of the tibia, within the articulation region, was mostly flat. Age was not associated with the observed results. Conclusions: The geometry of the osseous portion of the tibial plateau is more robustly explained by three slopes and the depth of the medial tibial condyle. Clinical Relevance: The sex and subject-to-subject-based differences in the tibial plateau geometry found in the present study could be important to consider during the assessment of the risk of knee injury, the susceptibility to osteoarthritis, and the success of unicompartmental and total knee arthroplasty.

Open Source Drug Discovery with the Malaria Box Compound Collection for Neglected Diseases and Beyond.

Abstract: A major cause of the paucity of new starting points for drug discovery is the lack of interaction between academia and industry. Much of the global resource in biology is present in universities, whereas the focus of medicinal chemistry is still largely within industry. Open source drug discovery, with sharing of information, is clearly a first step towards overcoming this gap. But the interface could especially be bridged through a scale-up of open sharing of physical compounds, which would accelerate the finding of new starting points for drug discovery. The Medicines for Malaria Venture Malaria Box is a collection of over 400 compounds representing families of structures identified in phenotypic screens of pharmaceutical and academic libraries against the Plasmodium falciparum malaria parasite. The set has now been distributed to almost 200 research groups globally in the last two years, with the only stipulation that information from the screens is deposited in the public domain. This paper reports for the first time on 236 screens that have been carried out against the Malaria Box and compares these results with 55 assays that were previously published, in a format that allows a meta-analysis of the combined dataset. The combined biochemical and cellular assays presented here suggest mechanisms of action for 135 (34%) of the compounds active in killing multiple life-cycle stages of the malaria parasite, including asexual blood, liver, gametocyte, gametes and insect ookinete stages. In addition, many compounds demonstrated activity against other pathogens, showing hits in assays with 16 protozoa, 7 helminths, 9 bacterial and mycobacterial species, the dengue fever mosquito vector, and the NCI60 human cancer cell line panel of 60 human tumor cell lines. Toxicological, pharmacokinetic and metabolic properties were collected on all the compounds, assisting in the selection of the most promising candidates for murine proof-of-concept experiments and medicinal chemistry programs. The data for all of these assays are presented and analyzed to show how outstanding leads for many indications can be selected. These results reveal the immense potential for translating the dispersed expertise in biological assays involving human pathogens into drug discovery starting points, by providing open access to new families of molecules, and emphasize how a small additional investment made to help acquire and distribute compounds, and sharing the data, can catalyze drug discovery for dozens of different indications. Another lesson is that when multiple screens from different groups are run on the same library, results can be integrated quickly to select the most valuable starting points for subsequent medicinal chemistry efforts.

Psychological antecedents of student procrastination

Abstract: The study examined three psychological explanations for procrastination: indecision (Janis & Mann, 1977); irrational beliefs about self-worth (Ellis & Knaus, 1977); and low self-esteem (Burka & Yuen, 1983). Times taken by 245 students in a first-year Psychology course to submit three separate assignments (a term-paper outline, a term paper, and a research questionnaire) were recorded and correlated with measures of indecision, irrational beliefs, and self-esteem, depression and anxiety. Similarly, students' self-reported frequency of procrastination was correlated with the above measures. Small but significant correlations were found between indecision, irrational beliefs, and low self-esteem and two measures of procrastination: time taken to submit a term paper and self-reported frequency of procrastination. Multiple regression analyses revealed that self-esteem and, to a lesser extent, indecision accounted for significant unique portions of the variance in procrastination. Significant correlati...