Evaluation of a Policy, Systems, and Environmental-Focused Faith-Based Health Promotion Program

Objective: This study assessed the impact and lessons learned from implementing policy, systems, and environmental (PSE) changes through Faithful Families Thriving Communities (Faithful Families), a faith-based health promotion program, in 3 southern states. Methods: Faithful Families classes and PSE changes were implemented through a coordinated effort between the Expanded Food and Nutrition Education Program (EFNEP) and Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program–Education (SNAP-Ed). Changes were measured using a faith community assessment, site reports, and annual reporting. Results: Thirteen faith communities participated in the intervention. A total of 34 PSE changes were implemented across the 3 states, affecting 11 faith communities with 4,810 members across sites. Conclusions and Implications: Programs such as Faithful Families can allow EFNEP and SNAP-Ed to coordinate to implement PSE changes in community settings. However, these types of coordinated programs to support faith communities require time for relationship building and trust, adequate training, and strong support for faith-based lay leaders as they carry out this work

Partitioning of Mg, Sr, Ba and U into a subaqueous calcite speleothem

The trace-element geochemistry of speleothems is becoming increasingly used for reconstructing palaeoclimate, with a particular emphasis on elements whose concentrations vary according to hydrological conditions at the cave site (e.g. Mg, Sr, Ba and U). An important step in interpreting trace-element abundances is understanding the underlying processes of their incorporation. This includes quantifying the fractionation between the solution and speleothem carbonate via partition coefficients (where the partitioning (D) of element X (DX) is the molar ratio [X/Ca] in the calcite divided by the molar ratio [X/Ca] in the parent water) and evaluating the degree of spatial variability across time-constant speleothem layers. Previous studies of how these elements are incorporated into speleothems have focused primarily on stalagmites and their source waters in natural cave settings, or have used synthetic solutions under cave-analogue laboratory conditions to produce similar dripstones. However, dripstones are not the only speleothem types capable of yielding useful palaeoclimate information. In this study, we investigate the incorporation of Mg, Sr, Ba and U into a subaqueous calcite speleothem (CD3) growing in a natural cave pool in Italy. Pool-water measurements extending back 15 years reveal a remarkably stable geochemical environment owing to the deep cave setting, enabling the calculation of precise solution [X/Ca]. We determine the trace element variability of ‘modern’ subaqueous calcite from a drill core taken through CD3 to derive DMg, DSr, DBa and DU then compare these with published cave, cave-analogue and seawater-analogue studies. The DMg for CD3 is anomalously high (0.042 ± 0.002) compared to previous estimates at similar temperatures (∼8 °C). The DSr (0.100 ± 0.007) is similar to previously reported values, but data from this study as well as those from Tremaine and Froelich (2013) and Day and Henderson (2013) suggest that [Na/Sr] might play an important role in Sr incorporation through the potential for Na to outcompete Sr for calcite non-lattice sites. DBa in CD3 (0.086 ± 0.008) is similar to values derived by Day and Henderson (2013) under cave-analogue conditions, whilst DU (0.013 ± 0.002) is almost an order of magnitude lower, possibly due to the unusually slow speleothem growth rates (<1 μm a−1), which could expose the crystal surfaces to leaching of uranyl carbonate. Finally, laser-ablation ICP-MS analysis of the upper 7 μm of CD3, regarded as ‘modern’ for the purposes of this study, reveals considerable heterogeneity, particularly for Sr, Ba and U, which is potentially indicative of compositional zoning. This reinforces the need to conduct 2D mapping and/or multiple laser passes to capture the range of time-equivalent elemental variations prior to palaeoclimate interpretation

Factors influencing awareness of community-based shorebird conservation projects in Australia

We examine the awareness of potential volunteers (n = 360) living near nine community-based shorebird conservation projects. About half of the people sampled (54%) were unaware of the nearest project. Awareness of interviewees varied substantially among projects (28-78%). Apart from gaining awareness of projects through membership of natural history groups (43%), many respondents heard of projects through friends and relatives (20%), rather than through media such as newspapers (14%) and television (2.3%). We demonstrate that community-based projects can be quantitatively and critically assessed for awareness. The use of rapid, cost-effective assessments of awareness levels has application in many conservation projects. <br /

Dexamethasone Protects Against Tourniquet-Induced Acute Ischemia-Reperfusion Injury in Mouse Hindlimb

Extremity injuries with hemorrhage have been a significant cause of death in civilian medicine and on the battlefield. The use of a tourniquet as an intervention is necessary for treatment to an injured limb; however, the tourniquet and subsequent release results in serious acute ischemia-reperfusion (IR) injury in the skeletal muscle and neuromuscular junction (NMJ). Much evidence demonstrates that inflammation is an important factor to cause acute IR injury. To find effective therapeutic interventions for tourniquet-induced acute IR injuries, our current study investigated effect of dexamethasone, an anti-inflammatory drug, on tourniquet-induced acute IR injury in mouse hindlimb. In C57/BL6 mice, a tourniquet was placed on unilateral hindlimb (left hindlimb) at the hip joint for 3 h, and then released for 24 h to induce IR. Three hours of tourniquet and 24 h of release (24-h IR) caused gastrocnemius muscle injuries including rupture of the muscle sarcolemma and necrosis (42.8 ± 2.3% for infarct size of the gastrocnemius muscle). In the NMJ, motor nerve terminals disappeared, and endplate potentials were undetectable in 24-h IR mice. There was no gastrocnemius muscle contraction in 24-h IR mice. Western blot data showed that inflammatory cytokines (TNFα and IL-1β) were increased in the gastrocnemius muscle after 24-h IR. Treatment with dexamethasone at the beginning of reperfusion (1 mg/kg, i.p.) significantly inhibited expression of TNFα and IL-1β, reduced rupture of the muscle sarcolemma and infarct size (24.8 ± 2.0%), and improved direct muscle stimulation-induced gastrocnemius muscle contraction in 24-h IR mice. However, this anti-inflammatory drug did not improve NMJ morphology and function, and sciatic nerve-stimulated skeletal muscle contraction in 24-h IR mice. The data suggest that one-time treatment with dexamethasone at the beginning of reperfusion only reduced structural and functional impairments of the skeletal muscle but not the NMJ through inhibiting inflammatory cytokines

Magnesium in subaqueous speleothems as a potential palaeotemperature proxy

Few palaeoclimate archives beyond the polar regions preserve continuous and datable palaeotemperature proxy time series over multiple glacial-interglacial cycles. This hampers efforts to develop a more coherent picture of global patterns of past temperatures. Here we show that Mg concentrations in a subaqueous speleothem from an Italian cave track regional sea-surface temperatures over the last 350,000 years. The Mg shows higher values during warm climate intervals and converse patterns during cold climate stages. In contrast to previous studies, this implicates temperature, not rainfall, as the principal driver of Mg variability. The depositional setting of the speleothem gives rise to Mg partition coefficients that are more temperature dependent than other calcites, enabling the effect of temperature change on Mg partitioning to greatly exceed the effects of changes in source-water Mg/Ca. Subaqueous speleothems from similar deep-cave environments should be capable of providing palaeotemperature information over multiple glacial-interglacial cycles

Bush peas: a rapid radiation with no support for monophyly of Pultenaea (Fabaceae : Mirbelieae)

Phylogenetic hypotheses are presented for Pultenaea based on cpDNA (trnL-F and ndhF) and nrDNA ( ITS) sequence data. Pultenaea, as it is currently circumscribed, comprises six strongly supported lineages whose relationships with each other and 18 closely related genera are weak or conflicting among datasets. The lack of resolution among the six Pultenaea clades and their relatives appears to be the result of a rapid radiation, which is evident in molecular data from both the chloroplast and nuclear genomes. The molecular data provide no support for the monophyly of Pultenaea as it currently stands. Given these results, Pultenaea could split into many smaller genera. We prefer the taxonomically stable alternative of subsuming all 19 genera currently recognised in Pultenaea sensu lato (= the Mirbelia group) into an expanded concept of Pultenaea that would comprise similar to 470 species

Serum from human burn victims impairs myogenesis and protein synthesis in primary myoblasts

The pathophysiological response to a severe burn injury involves a robust increase in circulating inflammatory/endocrine factors and a hypermetabolic state, both of which contribute to prolonged skeletal muscle atrophy. In order to characterize the role of circulating factors in muscle atrophy following a burn injury, human skeletal muscle satellite cells were grown in culture and differentiated to myoblasts/myotubes in media containing serum from burn patients or healthy, age and sex-matched controls. While incubation in burn serum did not affect NFκB signaling, cells incubated in burn serum displayed a transient increase in STAT3 phosphorlyation (Tyr705) after 48h of treatment with burn serum (≈+70%; P<0.01), with these levels returning to normal by 96h. Muscle cells differentiated in burn serum displayed reduced myogenic fusion signaling (phospho-STAT6 (Tyr641), ≈-75%; ADAM12, ≈-20%; both P<0.01), and reduced levels of myogenin (≈-75%; P<0.05). Concomitantly, myotubes differentiated in burn serum demonstrated impaired myogenesis (assessed by number of nuclei/myotube). Incubation in burn serum for 96h did not increase proteolytic signaling (assessed via caspase-3 and ubiquitin levels), but reduced anabolic signaling (p-p70S6k (Ser421/Thr424), -30%; p-rpS6 (Ser240/244), ≈-50%) and impaired protein synthesis (-24%) (P<0.05). This resulted in a loss of total protein content (-18%) and reduced cell size (-33%) (P<0.05). Overall, incubation of human muscle cells in serum from burn patients results in impaired myogenesis and reduced myotube size, indicating that circulating factors may play a significant role in muscle loss and impaired muscle recovery following burn injury