Prevention of type 2 diabetes in urban American Indian/Alaskan Native communities: The Life in BALANCE pilot study

Objective: The Life in BALANCE (LIB) study is a pilot translational study modeling the Diabetes Prevention Program (DPP) intensive lifestyle coaching intervention among an underserved, high-risk population: American Indians/Alaska Natives (AI/ANs) living in a large urban setting (Las Vegas, Nevada). Research Design and Methods: A total of 22 overweight/obese AI/ANs (age, 39.6 ± 10.4 years; BMI, 34.1 ± 6.3 kg/m2) at increased risk for developing type 2 diabetes (HbA1c \u3e 5.4 (36 mmol/mol) \u3c 6.4 percent (46 mmol/mol) participated in the program between April and December, 2011. Study participants completed a 16 week intensive lifestyle coaching intervention. In addition to obtaining qualitative data regarding opportunities and challenges of applying the lifestyle intervention for AI/AN participants in an urban setting, clinical data, including BMI, waist circumference, blood pres- sure, fasting blood glucose, and blood lipids (HDL, LDL and Triglycerides), were collected. Results: Only 12 of the 22 participants remained in the LIB program at the final post-program follow-up. Participants demonstrated significant decreased waist circumference and elevated HDL cholesterol. Triglycerides manifested the highest percentage change without statistical significance. No significant change was ob- served in blood pressure or fasting blood glucose. Conclusions: LIB participants’ improvements in BMI, waist circumference, HDL cholesterol and triglycerides suggests type 2 diabetes prevention programs aimed at urban AI/ANs show significant potential for reducing the risk of developing type 2 diabetes among this underserved and high risk community. Qualitative data suggest the main challenge for type 2 diabetes prevention specific to this population is a need for improved community outreach strategies

Total- and Monomethyl-Mercury and Major Ions in Coastal California Fog Water: Results from Two Years of Sampling on Land and at Sea

Marine fog water samples were collected over two summers (2014–2015) with active strand collectors (CASCC) at eight coastal sites from Humboldt to Monterey counties in California, USA, and on four ocean cruises along the California coastline in order to investigate mercury (Hg) cycling at the ocean-atmosphere-land interface. The mean concentration of monomethylmercury (MMHg) in fog water across terrestrial sites for both years was 1.6 ± 1.9 ng L-1 (\u3c0.01–10.4 ng L-1, N = 149), which corresponds to 5.7% (2.0–10.8%) of total Hg (HgT) in fog. Rain water samples from three sites had mean MMHg concentrations of 0.20 ± 0.12 ng L-1 (N = 5) corresponding to 1.4% of HgT. Fog water samples collected at sea had MMHg concentrations of 0.08 ± 0.15 ng L-1 (N = 14) corresponding to 0.4% of HgT. Significantly higher MMHg concentrations in fog were observed at terrestrial sites next to the ocean relative to a site 40 kilometers inland, and the mean difference was 1.6 ng L-1. Using a rate constant for photo-demethylation of MMHg of -0.022 h-1 based on previous demethylation experiments and a coastal-inland fog transport time of 12 hours, a mean difference of only 0.5 ng L-1 of MMHg was predicted between coastal and inland sites, indicating other unknown source and/or sink pathways are important for MMHg in fog. Fog water deposition to a standard passive 1.00 m2 fog collector at six terrestrial sites averaged 0.10 ± 0.07 L m-2 d-1, which was ∼2% of typical rainwater deposition in this area. Mean air-surface fog water fluxes of MMHg and HgT were then calculated to be 34 ± 40 ng m-2 y-1 and 546 ± 581 ng m-2 y-1, respectively. These correspond to 33% and 13% of the rain fluxes, respectively

Pathogen invasion history elucidates contemporary host pathogen dynamics.

Amphibians, the most threatened group of vertebrates, are seen as indicators of the sixth mass extinction on earth. Thousands of species are threatened with extinction and many have been affected by an emerging infectious disease, chytridiomycosis, caused by the fungal pathogen, Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd). However, amphibians exhibit different responses to the pathogen, such as survival and population persistence with infection, or mortality of individuals and complete population collapse after pathogen invasion. Multiple factors can affect host pathogen dynamics, yet few studies have provided a temporal view that encompasses both the epizootic phase (i.e. pathogen invasion and host collapse), and the transition to a more stable co-existence (i.e. recovery of infected host populations). In the Sierra Nevada mountains of California, USA, conspecific populations of frogs currently exhibit dramatically different host/ Bd-pathogen dynamics. To provide a temporal context by which present day dynamics may be better understood, we use a Bd qPCR assay to test 1165 amphibian specimens collected between 1900 and 2005. Our historical analyses reveal a pattern of pathogen invasion and eventual spread across the Sierra Nevada over the last century. Although we found a small number of Bd-infections prior to 1970, these showed no sign of spread or increase in infection prevalence over multiple decades. After the late 1970s, when mass die offs were first noted, our data show Bd as much more prevalent and more spatially spread out, suggesting epizootic spread. However, across the ~400km2 area, we found no evidence of a wave-like pattern, but instead discovered multiple, nearly-simultaneous invasions within regions. We found that Bd invaded and spread in the central Sierra Nevada (Yosemite National Park area) about four decades before it invaded and spread in the southern Sierra Nevada (Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks area), and suggest that the temporal pattern of pathogen invasion may help explain divergent contemporary host pathogen dynamics