More Than Meets The Eye: An Examination Of Whether Marital Conflict Transforms Newlywed Relationships

This exploratory research responds to two primary questions: 1) what is marital conflict and, 2) does it transform newlywed relationships? Using three-wave panel data collected with the purpose of studying the participants of the Covenant Marriage Act in Louisiana, it examines the nature and effects of conflict on newlywed couples over the first five years of marriage. While the analysis contained in this dissertation answers the research questions, it also presents more questions than it answers. This research examines six major themes regarding 1)the nature of marital conflict among these couples, 2) what couples disagree about, 3) how do couples behave when conflict is present, including managing thoughts of divorce, 4) how does conflict change over time, 5) how does conflict experienced in the family of origin manifest in current marriages, and 6) what effect does religiosity have on conflict? Findings support the conventional wisdom in marriage that conflict increases over time, and marital quality decreases over time. In addition, findings show that by wave three sex is the number one topic of disagreement, and that it had the largest increase over time

Familial 4;18 chromosome translocation resulting in trisomy 4p and monosomy 18p: affected individuals with discordant phenotype

No Abstract.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/62156/1/2225_ftp.pd

“…[T]his is What We are Missing”: The Value of Communicating Infant Feeding Information Across Three Generations of African American Women

Background Breast/Chestfeeding remains a public health issue for African Americans, and increased rates would mitigate many health disparities, thus promoting health equity. Research Aims To explore the interplay of generational familial roles and meaning (or value) ascribed to communicating infant feeding information across three generations. Method This prospective, cross-sectional qualitative study used an asset-driven approach and was guided by Black Feminist Thought and Symbolic Interactionism. African American women (N = 35; 15 family triads/dyads), residing in the southeastern United States were interviewed. Data were analyzed using thematic analysis. Results The older two generations described their role using assertive yet nurturing terms, while the younger generation carefully discussed the flexibility between their familial roles. Emergent themes described the meaning each generation attributed to communicating infant feeding information: “My Responsibility,” “Comforting,” “Bonding Experience,” “She Cared,” and “Gained Wisdom.” Conclusions Our findings have potential to contribute to achieving health equity in African American families. Future breast/chestfeeding promotion efforts may benefit from reframing the current approach to including protection language and not solely support language. Lactation professionals should further recognize and support strengths and resource-richness of intergenerational infant feeding communication within African American families using strength-based, empowerment-oriented, and ethnically sensitive approaches

Investigation of the Relationship Between Susceptibility Loci for Hip Osteoarthritis and Dual X-Ray Absorptiometry–Derived Hip Shape in a Population-Based Cohort of Perimenopausal Women

This publication is the work of the authors and does not necessarily reflect the views of any funders. Supported by the UK Medical Research Council (grant G1001357 for collection of hip shape), and the Wellcome Trust (grants WT092830M for collection of hip shape and WT088806 for genotyping). Core support for the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children is provided by the UK Medical Research Council, the Wellcome Trust (102215/2/13/2), and the University of Bristol. Dr. Baird's work was supported by Arthritis Research UK (grant 20244). Mr. Faber's work was supported by an Elizabeth Blackwell Institute Clinical Research Primer Scheme.Peer reviewedPostprin

The Relationship of Urinary Metabolites of Carbaryl/Naphthalene and Chlorpyrifos with Human Semen Quality

Most of the general population is exposed to carbaryl and other contemporary-use insecticides at low levels. Studies of laboratory animals, in addition to limited human data, show an association between carbaryl exposure and decreased semen quality. In the present study we explored whether environmental exposures to 1-naphthol (1N), a metabolite of carbaryl and naphthalene, and 3,5,6-trichloro-2-pyridinol (TCPY), a metabolite of chlorpyrifos and chlorpyrifos-methyl, are associated with decreased semen quality in humans. Subjects (n = 272) were recruited through a Massachusetts infertility clinic. Individual exposures were measured as spot urinary concentrations of 1N and TCPY adjusted using specific gravity. Semen quality was assessed as sperm concentration, percent motile sperm, and percent sperm with normal morphology, along with sperm motion parameters (straight-line velocity, curvilinear velocity, and linearity). Median TCPY and 1N concentrations were 3.22 and 3.19 μg/L, respectively. For increasing 1N tertiles, adjusted odds ratios (ORs) were significantly elevated for below-reference sperm concentration (OR for low, medium, and high tertiles = 1.0, 4.2, 4.2, respectively; p-value for trend = 0.01) and percent motile sperm (1.0, 2.5, 2.4; p-value for trend = 0.01). The sperm motion parameter most strongly associated with 1N was straight-line velocity. There were suggestive, borderline-significant associations for TCPY with sperm concentration and motility, whereas sperm morphology was weakly and nonsignificantly associated with both TCPY and 1N. The observed associations between altered semen quality and 1N are consistent with previous studies of carbaryl exposure, although suggestive associations with TCPY are difficult to interpret because human and animal data are currently limited

Animal infection studies of two recently discovered African bat paramyxoviruses, Achimota 1 and Achimota 2.

Bats are implicated as the natural reservoirs for several highly pathogenic viruses that can infect other animal species, including man. Here, we investigate the potential for two recently discovered bat rubulaviruses, Achimota virus 1 (AchPV1) and Achimota virus 2 (AchPV2), isolated from urine collected under urban bat (Eidolon helvum) roosts in Ghana, West Africa, to infect small laboratory animals. AchPV1 and AchPV2 are classified in the family Paramyxoviridae and cluster with other bat derived zoonotic rubulaviruses (i.e. Sosuga, Menangle and Tioman viruses). To assess the susceptibility of AchPV1 and AchPV2 in animals, infection studies were conducted in ferrets, guinea pigs and mice. Seroconversion, immunohistological evidence of infection, and viral shedding were identified in ferrets and guinea pigs, but not in mice. Infection was associated with respiratory disease in ferrets. Viral genome was detected in a range of tissues from ferrets and guinea pigs, however virus isolation was only achieved from ferret tissues. The results from this study indicate Achimota viruses (AchPVs) are able to cross the species barrier. Consequently, vigilance for infection with and disease caused by these viruses in people and domesticated animals is warranted in sub-Saharan Africa and the Arabian Peninsula where the reservoir hosts are present.Royal Society Wolfson research merit award. NRF-CRP grant (NRF2012NRF-CRP001-056)

Residential Pesticide Usage in Older Adults Residing in Central California

Information on residential pesticide usage and behaviors that may influence pesticide exposure was collected in three population-based studies of older adults residing in the three Central California counties of Fresno, Kern, and Tulare. We present data from participants in the Study of Use of Products and Exposure Related Behaviors (SUPERB) study (N = 153) and from community controls ascertained in two Parkinson’s disease studies, the Parkinson’s Environment and Gene (PEG) study (N = 359) and The Center for Gene-Environment Studies in Parkinson’s Disease (CGEP; N = 297). All participants were interviewed by telephone to obtain information on recent and lifetime indoor and outdoor residential pesticide use. Interviews ascertained type of product used, frequency of use, and behaviors that may influence exposure to pesticides during and after application. Well over half of all participants reported ever using indoor and outdoor pesticides; yet frequency of pesticide use was relatively low, and appeared to increase slightly with age. Few participants engaged in behaviors to protect themselves or family members and limit exposure to pesticides during and after treatment, such as ventilating and cleaning treated areas, or using protective equipment during application. Our findings on frequency of use over lifetime and exposure related behaviors will inform future efforts to develop population pesticide exposure models and risk assessment

The rhesus macaque is three times as diverse but more closely equivalent in damaging coding variation as compared to the human

Abstract Background As a model organism in biomedicine, the rhesus macaque (Macaca mulatta) is the most widely used nonhuman primate. Although a draft genome sequence was completed in 2007, there has been no systematic genome-wide comparison of genetic variation of this species to humans. Comparative analysis of functional and nonfunctional diversity in this highly abundant and adaptable non-human primate could inform its use as a model for human biology, and could reveal how variation in population history and size alters patterns and levels of sequence variation in primates. Results We sequenced the mRNA transcriptome and H3K4me3-marked DNA regions in hippocampus from 14 humans and 14 rhesus macaques. Using equivalent methodology and sampling spaces, we identified 462,802 macaque SNPs, most of which were novel and disproportionately located in the functionally important genomic regions we had targeted in the sequencing. At least one SNP was identified in each of 16,797 annotated macaque genes. Accuracy of macaque SNP identification was conservatively estimated to be >90%. Comparative analyses using SNPs equivalently identified in the two species revealed that rhesus macaque has approximately three times higher SNP density and average nucleotide diversity as compared to the human. Based on this level of diversity, the effective population size of the rhesus macaque is approximately 80,000 which contrasts with an effective population size of less than 10,000 for humans. Across five categories of genomic regions, intergenic regions had the highest SNP density and average nucleotide diversity and CDS (coding sequences) the lowest, in both humans and macaques. Although there are more coding SNPs (cSNPs) per individual in macaques than in humans, the ratio of dN/dS is significantly lower in the macaque. Furthermore, the number of damaging nonsynonymous cSNPs (have damaging effects on protein functions from PolyPhen-2 prediction) in the macaque is more closely equivalent to that of the human. Conclusions This large panel of newly identified macaque SNPs enriched for functionally significant regions considerably expands our knowledge of genetic variation in the rhesus macaque. Comparative analysis reveals that this widespread, highly adaptable species is approximately three times as diverse as the human but more closely equivalent in damaging variation.http://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/112453/1/12863_2011_Article_1004.pd

Understanding the treatment benefit of hyperimmune anti-influenza intravenous immunoglobulin (Flu-IVIG) for severe human influenza

Background: Antibody-based therapies for respiratory viruses are of increasing importance. The INSIGHT 006 trial administered anti-influenza hyperimmune intravenous immunoglobulin (Flu-IVIG) to patients hospitalized with influenza. Flu-IVIG treatment improved outcomes in patients with influenza B but showed no benefit for influenza A. Methods: To probe potential mechanisms of Flu-IVIG utility, sera collected from patients hospitalized with influenza A or B viruses (IAV or IBV) were analyzed for antibody isotype/subclass and Fcγ receptor (FcγR) binding by ELISA, bead-based multiplex, and NK cell activation assays. Results: Influenza-specific FcγR-binding antibodies were elevated in Flu-IVIG–infused IBV- and IAV-infected patients. In IBV-infected participants (n = 62), increased IgG3 and FcγR binding were associated with more favorable outcomes. Flu-IVIG therapy also improved the odds of a more favorable outcome in patients with low levels of anti-IBV Fc-functional antibody. Higher FcγR-binding antibody was associated with less favorable outcomes in IAV-infected patients (n = 50), and Flu-IVIG worsened the odds of a favorable outcome in participants with low levels of anti-IAV Fc-functional antibody. Conclusion: These detailed serological analyses provide insights into antibody features and mechanisms required for a successful humoral response against influenza, suggesting that IBV-specific, but not IAV-specific, antibodies with Fc-mediated functions may assist in improving influenza outcome. This work will inform development of improved influenza immunotherapies