An Analysis of Substance Use Perceptions in College Students

Undergraduate Applie

Predictors for Using a HIV Self-Test Among Migrant and Seasonal Farmworkers in North Carolina

Background: Approximately, two million migrant and seasonal farmworkers (MSF) work in the United States annually. Several factors, such as lack of access to healthcare services and health behaviors, contribute to risk of HIV transmission. Relatively few studies have explored MSF knowledge of HIV transmission and testing options. Methods: A 12-question, self-administered survey of farmworkers (n = 178) from 19 migrant camps was conducted. The survey assessed knowledge of factors related to HIV transmission, testing, and intention to use a HIV home-test kit. Results: Participants with knowledge of treatment for HIV (p = 0.03) and that condom use protects against HIV (p = 0.04) were more willing to express intent to use a home test kit than those with less knowledge. Concern among farmworkers that HIV was a very or somewhat serious problem in their community was associated with expressing intent to use a home test kit (OR = 2.3, 95% CI = 0.92–5.5). Respondents with less knowledge were less likely to use a home test kit. Conclusions: MSF were concerned about HIV in their community and would be willing to use to a home test kit. This pilot study provides a basis for additional research related to HIV testing within the MSF community.ECU Open Access Publishing Support Fun

Salmonid distribution and abundance in the context of Elwha River dam removals

Removal of two dams on the Elwha River, Washington from 2011 to 2014 has begun to restore natural sediment processes to the coastal environment near the river mouth. Since 2006, we have been collecting data on shallow subtidal (nearshore) fish communities near the Elwha River and at reference sites in the Strait of Juan de Fuca to assess fish response to sediment changes resulting from dam removal. Juvenile salmon (Chinook, coho, pink and chum salmon) migrate through this region, which also supports ecologically important forage fish and endemic benthic fauna. Beach seine samples collected annually from April through September from over 20 sites span pre-removal, high impact (during dam removal), and post-removal years. Annual catches included 23,093 to 92,677 individuals from 45-55 species. Trends in species richness and abundance were variable over this time period. Forage fish dominated our catches followed by salmonids. In this analysis we explored patterns of juvenile salmonid abundance in relation to dam removal, environmental variables, site characteristics (including community composition), and year/season using a Bayesian hierarchical modeling framework and multivariate analyses. Chinook salmon show a tenfold variation in abundance over the years examined. Catches of Chinook and coho salmon were dominated by locally released hatchery fish with high variability between sampling sites. Throughout this region we have seen a marked decrease in coho salmon catches in recent years. Understanding what biotic and abiotic factors contribute most to this variability in salmon abundance and distribution may help tailor future dam removal processes or reframe management decisions

Protease activated receptors 1 and 4 sensitize TRPV1 in nociceptive neurones.

Protease-activated receptors (PAR1-4) are activated by proteases released by cell damage or blood clotting, and are known to be involved in promoting pain and hyperalgesia. Previous studies have shown that PAR2 receptors enhance activation of TRPV1 but the role of other PARs is less clear. In this paper we investigate the expression and function of the PAR1, 3 and 4 thrombin-activated receptors in sensory neurones. Immunocytochemistry and in situ hybridization show that PAR1 and PAR4 are expressed in 10 - 15% of neurons, distributed across all size classes. Thrombin or a specific PAR1 or PAR4 activating peptide (PAR1/4-AP) caused functional effects characteristic of activation of the PLCβ/PKC pathway: intracellular calcium release, sensitisation of TRPV1, and translocation of the epsilon isoform of PKC (PKCε) to the neuronal cell membrane. Sensitisation of TRPV1 was significantly reduced by PKC inhibitors. Neurons responding to thrombin or PAR1-AP were either small nociceptive neurones of the peptidergic subclass, or larger neurones which expressed markers for myelinated fibres. Sequential application of PAR1-AP and PAR4-AP showed that PAR4 is expressed in a subset of the PAR1-expressing neurons. Calcium responses to PAR2-AP were by contrast seen in a distinct population of small IB4+ nociceptive neurones. PAR3 appears to be non-functional in sensory neurones. In a skin-nerve preparation the release of the neuropeptide CGRP by heat was potentiated by PAR1-AP. Culture with nerve growth factor (NGF) increased the proportion of thrombin-responsive neurons in the IB4- population, while glial-derived neurotropic factor (GDNF) and neurturin upregulated the proportion of thrombin-responsive neurons in the IB4+ population. We conclude that PAR1 and PAR4 are functionally expressed in large myelinated fibre neurons, and are also expressed in small nociceptors of the peptidergic subclass, where they are able to potentiate TRPV1 activity.RIGHTS : This article is licensed under the BioMed Central licence at http://www.biomedcentral.com/about/license which is similar to the 'Creative Commons Attribution Licence'. In brief you may : copy, distribute, and display the work; make derivative works; or make commercial use of the work - under the following conditions: the original author must be given credit; for any reuse or distribution, it must be made clear to others what the license terms of this work are

Relationship between red blood cell lifespan and endogenous carbon monoxide in the common bottlenose dolphin and beluga

Certain deep-diving marine mammals (i.e., northern elephant seal (Mirounga angustirosis), Weddell seal (Leptonychotes weddellii)) have blood carbon monoxide (CO) levels that are comparable to those of chronic cigarette smokers. Most CO produced in humans is a by-product of heme degradation, which is released when red blood cells (RBC) are destroyed. Elevated CO can occur in humans when RBC lifespan decreases. The contribution of RBC turnover to CO concentrations in marine mammals is unknown. Here, we report the first RBC lifespans in two healthy, marine mammal species with different diving capacities and heme stores, the shallow diving bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus) and deep-diving beluga (Delphinapterus leucas) and relate the lifespans to the levels of CO in blood and breath. The belugas, with high blood heme stores, had the longest mean RBC lifespan compared to humans and bottlenose dolphins. Both cetacean species were found to have three times higher blood CO content compared to humans. The estimated CO production rate from heme degradation indicates some marine mammals may have additional mechanisms for CO production, or delay CO removal from the body, potentially from long duration breath-holds

Spatio-temporal variation in the nearshore forage fish community in the Strait of Juan de Fuca

Nearshore marine habitats in the Salish Sea support populations of many fish species including migrating juvenile salmon, benthic sculpins, and rearing and spawning forage fish. The Strait of Juan de Fuca (SJF) is critical as a corridor between the Pacific Ocean and inland water bodies. Though known to utilize this area, the population dynamics of ecologically important forage fish are poorly understood. Over 9 years of monthly beach seine sampling (April – September) at 24 sites along 70 km of coastline in the SJF, we have observed high variability in fish catch across years, sites, and seasons. Annual catches ranged from 23,093 to 92,677 individual fish divided among 45 to 55 species. Forage fish were represented by 9 species and were numerically the dominant group, accounting for 87.8% of the catch from all sampling areas combined. Three forage fish species dominated, thus warranting in-depth investigation: Pacific Herring (Clupea pallasii), Pacific Sand Lance (Ammodytes hexapterus), and Surf Smelt (Hypomesus pretiosus). Influence of individual species varied, yet drove the fish assemblage structure. We explored effects of temporal and spatial variability on forage fish occurrence, abundance, and community composition using descriptive statistics and a Bayesian hierarchical modeling framework. Additionally, the removal of two large dams on the adjacent Elwha River, which released stored sediment into our sampling area, provided us an opportunity to examine forage fish response to a localized habitat perturbation. Spatially, individual species may avoid regions of high perturbation but dramatic variations in distribution and abundance of the greater forage fish community are temporally driven by larger scale changes. Management plans directed at forage fish should take into consideration how variation in abundance at regional scales and consistent population responses to large-scale environmental fluctuations may drive forage fish populations over time

Stable long-term risk of leukaemia in patients with severe congenital neutropenia maintained on G-CSF therapy

In severe congenital neutropenia (SCN), long-term therapy with granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF) has reduced mortality from sepsis, revealing an underlying predisposition to myelodysplastic syndrome and acute myeloid leukaemia (MDS/AML). We have reported the early pattern of evolution to MDS/AML, but the long-term risk remains uncertain. We updated a prospective study of 374 SCN patients on long-term G-CSF enrolled in the Severe Chronic Neutropenia International Registry. Long-term, the annual risk of MDS/AML attained a plateau (2·3%/year after 10 years). This risk now appears similar to, rather than higher than, the risk of AML in Fanconi anaemia and dyskeratosis congenita.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/79264/1/j.1365-2141.2010.08216.x.pd

UK vaccines network:Mapping priority pathogens of epidemic potential and vaccine pipeline developments

During the 2013–2016 Ebola outbreak in West Africa an expert panel was established on the instructions of the UK Prime Minister to identify priority pathogens for outbreak diseases that had the potential to cause future epidemics. A total of 13 priority pathogens were identified, which led to the prioritisation of spending in emerging diseases vaccine research and development from the UK. This meeting report summarises the process used to develop the UK pathogen priority list, compares it to lists generated by other organisations (World Health Organisation, National Institutes of Allergy and Infectious Diseases) and summarises clinical progress towards the development of vaccines against priority diseases. There is clear technical progress towards the development of vaccines. However, the availability of these vaccines will be dependent on sustained funding for clinical trials and the preparation of clinically acceptable manufactured material during inter-epidemic periods

Plasma Biomarkers of Brain Atrophy in Alzheimer's Disease

Peripheral biomarkers of Alzheimer's disease (AD) reflecting early neuropathological change are critical to the development of treatments for this condition. The most widely used indicator of AD pathology in life at present is neuroimaging evidence of brain atrophy. We therefore performed a proteomic analysis of plasma to derive biomarkers associated with brain atrophy in AD. Using gel based proteomics we previously identified seven plasma proteins that were significantly associated with hippocampal volume in a combined cohort of subjects with AD (N = 27) and MCI (N = 17). In the current report, we validated this finding in a large independent cohort of AD (N = 79), MCI (N = 88) and control (N = 95) subjects using alternative complementary methods—quantitative immunoassays for protein concentrations and estimation of pathology by whole brain volume. We confirmed that plasma concentrations of five proteins, together with age and sex, explained more than 35% of variance in whole brain volume in AD patients. These proteins are complement components C3 and C3a, complement factor-I, γ-fibrinogen and alpha-1-microglobulin. Our findings suggest that these plasma proteins are strong predictors of in vivo AD pathology. Moreover, these proteins are involved in complement activation and coagulation, providing further evidence for an intrinsic role of these pathways in AD pathogenesis

Integrating open articles with open data in the life sciences with Europe PubMed Central.

Presentation at Open Repositories 2014, Helsinki, Finland, June 9-13, 2014General Track Papers and PanelsThe session was recorded and is available for watching (this presentation starts at 0:00:38)Europe PubMed Central is a repository of full text articles and metadata records for the life sciences, available via a website (http://europepmc.org/) and web services. We enrich this content in several ways, building article-level citation information, adding semantic tags for key biological concepts, and in particular, integrating this literature with related data resources. Our goal is to build open, full-text scientific literature resources and support innovation by engaging users, enabling contributors, and integrating related research data. In this presentation, we describe recent developments we have undertaken to achieve this goal, and reach out to the open repository community to collaborate to build a connected research ecosystem in support of the research and development activities of our users.McEntyre, Johanna (EMBL-EBI, United Kingdom)Kinsey, Anna (British Library, United Kingdom