Wangari Gardens: Gardening For Community, Health & Happiness In Washington, Dc

Background: Wangari Gardens is a community garden and garden education nonprofit located in the northwest region of Washington, DC. The gardens consist of 110 individual garden plots, public gardens open to harvest by any local resident of DC, and an outdoor classroom that holds free weekly workshops on gardening topics for all community members. Objective: To explore the health and community related experiences of community members who hold garden plots at Wangari Gardens. Methods: 17 semi-structured qualitative interviews were conducted at the community garden. Interviews lasted a half hour on average, and covered topics of how one chose to garden both broadly and at Wangari, benefits of gardening, and challenges associated with community gardening. Interviews were recorded and transcripts analyzed using qualitative data analysis software. Results: Community members chose to begin gardening to improve nutrition, manage chronic disease symptoms, cultivate an ongoing hobby, and establish a greater connection with nature and their surrounding community. Community members continued gardening to maintain relationships created at the gardens, physical benefits, harvest from garden plots, and feelings of self-efficacy. Conclusion: Community gardens provide multi-faceted benefits to community members, including individual level benefits such as a greater sense of physical well-being and enjoyment of healthy food, and community level benefits such as bringing community members together and creating a sense of community ownership of the land and their health. This work adds to the growing body of literature on the benefits of utilizing green spaces in urban areas for community growth and health initiatives. *Final product is a color brochure including a photo voice componen

George W. Tracy Papers, 1955-1958

Two detailed interviews (17 leaves and 9 leaves) with Leonard Sackett decribing the Tracy family's experiences at Amenia and Sharon farm, with mention of the farm buildings, other hired men, poor quality food, E.W. Chaffee's rules for hired men, their departure from Amenia and Sharon, George farming at Hunter, N.D., his move to Emmons County, N.D., his freight hauling business and sheep ranch, the Spicer family murders and the ensuing lynching. Typed copy of pamphlet "The Win Tracy story" (14 leaves) by George Tracy mentions his moving to Winona, N.D. (later flooded by Lake Oahe), freight hauling, the Spicer murders, and includes anecdotes concerning a drunken female saloon owner, a boy from the East and a drunken bar girl with a gun, and the accidental killing of a man with a water pitcher

Immune- and nonimmune-compartment-specific interferon responses are critical determinants of herpes simplex virus-induced generalized infections and acute liver failure

The interferon (IFN) response to viral pathogens is critical for host survival. In humans and mouse models, defects in IFN responses can result in lethal herpes simplex virus 1 (HSV-1) infections, usually from encephalitis. Although rare, HSV-1 can also cause fulminant hepatic failure, which is often fatal. Although herpes simplex encephalitis has been extensively studied, HSV-1 generalized infections and subsequent acute liver failure are less well understood. We previously demonstrated that IFN-αβγR-/- mice are exquisitely susceptible to liver infection following corneal infection with HSV-1. In this study, we used bone marrow chimeras of IFN-αβγR-/- (AG129) and wild-type (WT; 129SvEv) mice to probe the underlying IFN-dependent mechanisms that control HSV-1 pathogenesis. After infection, WT mice with either IFN-αβγR-/- or WT marrow exhibited comparable survival, while IFN-αβγR-/- mice with WT marrow had a significant survival advantage over their counterparts with IFN-αβγR-/- marrow. Furthermore, using bioluminescent imaging to maximize data acquisition, we showed that the transfer of IFN-competent hematopoietic cells controlled HSV-1 replication and damage in the livers of IFN-αβγR-/- mice. Consistent with this, the inability of IFN-αβγR-/- immune cells to control liver infection in IFN-αβγR-/- mice manifested as profoundly elevated aspartate transaminase (AST) and alanine transaminase (ALT) levels, indicative of severe liver damage. In contrast, IFN-αβγR-/-mice receiving WT marrow exhibited only modest elevations of AST and ALT levels. These studies indicate that IFN responsiveness of the immune system is a major determinant of viral tropism and damage during visceral HSV infections

Magnesium-uranium alloy system

Analytical, X-ray, thermal, and metallographic data have been obtained in the study of magnesium-uranium system, and a proposed phase diagram has been constructed

Presence of the CYP2B6 516G> T polymorphism, increased plasma Efavirenz concentrations and early neuropsychiatric side effects in South African HIV-infected patients

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>The 516G > T polymorphism in exon 4 of the <it>CYP2B6 </it>gene has been associated with increased plasma Efavirenz (EFV) concentrations. EFV concentrations greater than the recommended therapeutic range have been associated with the increased likelihood of developing adverse CNS effects. The aims of this study were to a) determine the presence of the <it>516G > T </it>and other <it>CYP2B6 </it>exon 4 polymorphisms in a South African group of HIV-infected individuals b) investigate the relationship between the EFV plasma concentrations, the <it>CYP2B6 516G > T </it>polymorphism and the occurrence of CNS related side effects in this group of patients and c) develop and validate a rapid method for determination of EFV in plasma.</p> <p>Method</p> <p>Data from 80 patients is presented. Genetic polymorphisms in exon 4 of the <it>CYP2B6 </it>gene were identified using PCR amplification of this region followed by sequencing of the amplification products. EFV concentrations were analysed by UPLC-MS/MS. Assessment of the presence of CNS related side effects following EFV initiation were elicited with the use of a questionnaire together with physical examination.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Plasma EFV concentrations displayed high inter-individual variability amongst subjects with concentrations ranging from 94 μg/l to 23227 μg/l at 2 weeks post initiation of treatment. For the 516G > T polymorphism the following frequencies were observed 23% of patients were TT homozygous, 36% GG and 41% GT. The TT homozygous patients had significantly higher EFV concentrations vs. those with the wild (GG) genotype (p < 0.05). Patients who experienced no side effects had significantly lower EFV plasma concentrations vs. the group of patients which experienced the most severe side effects (p < 0.05).</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>The significant association between the 516G > T polymorphism and plasma EFV concentrations has been demonstrated in this study. A rapid and sensitive method for the measurement of plasma EFV concentration was developed and validated.</p

Monomeric ephrinB2 binding induces allosteric changes in Nipah virus G that precede its full activation.

Nipah virus is an emergent paramyxovirus that causes deadly encephalitis and respiratory infections in humans. Two glycoproteins coordinate the infection of host cells, an attachment protein (G), which binds to cell surface receptors, and a fusion (F) protein, which carries out the process of virus-cell membrane fusion. The G protein binds to ephrin B2/3 receptors, inducing G conformational changes that trigger F protein refolding. Using an optical approach based on second harmonic generation, we show that monomeric and dimeric receptors activate distinct conformational changes in G. The monomeric receptor-induced changes are not detected by conformation-sensitive monoclonal antibodies or through electron microscopy analysis of G:ephrinB2 complexes. However, hydrogen/deuterium exchange experiments confirm the second harmonic generation observations and reveal allosteric changes in the G receptor binding and F-activating stalk domains, providing insights into the pathway of receptor-activated virus entry.Nipah virus causes encephalitis in humans. Here the authors use a multidisciplinary approach to study the binding of the viral attachment protein G to its host receptor ephrinB2 and show that monomeric and dimeric receptors activate distinct conformational changes in G and discuss implications for receptor-activated virus entry