Potomac River pound-net survey, summers 1996-1997 : 1998 final report

The pound net (Fig 1) is a fixed fishing structure that intercepts fish as they migrate up- or down-river. Fish weirs made of stakes were first used by the Native Americans along the east coast of the English Colonies and were the model for the later development of the pound net. Pound nets were first used in New England around 1850; and were subsequently introduced to Long Island in 1855. A Captain Henry Fitzgerald is reported to have erected the first Chesapeake Bay pound net in 1858, but it failed due to its poor construction. No further attempts were made to use this gear until 1870. At this time two New Jersey fishermen successfully fished a pound net in the James River. A second net was erected in 1875 in the Mob jack Bay, and was so successful that the local fishermen destroyed it. The design of the net was passed around among the fishermen and by 1876 there were 12 nets. So great was the profit that by 1880 there were 162 nets in Virginia (Reid 1955, Austin 1987). The design of the gear has changed little over the years; and during the period between the World Wars the number of nets in the Chesapeake Bay exceeded 2,000. Since the mid-1950\u27s the numbers have declined. June (1956) cited competition with the otter trawl after the mid-1950\u27s as one reason for a general decline in pound nets in the Mid-Atlantic Bight states. (...

The nature and prevalence of disability in a Ghanaian community as measured by the Language Independent Functional Evaluation

Introduction: The current study uses the Language Independent Functional Evaluation (L.I.F.E.) to evaluate disability in a smaller Ghanaian coastal town to characterize the extent and nature of disability. The L.I.F.E. is a video animated, language free equivalent of the standard 10-item verbal/written Barthel Index functional assessment. Methods: Over a four-month period, the L.I.F.E. survey was given to members of the village of Anomabo in a preliminary survey which consisted of recruitment in an un-controlled manner, followed by a systematic, comprehensive survey of three neighborhood clusters. Basic demographics were also collected, along with the observer’s assessment of disability. Results: 541 inhabitants (264 in the preliminary survey and 277 in systematic survey) completed the L.I.F.E. Participants ranged from 7-100 years old (mean age 32.88, s.d. 20.64) and were 55.9% female. In the systematic study, 16.6% of participants had a less than perfect score on the L.I.F.E., indicating some degree of impairment. Significant differences were found between age groups, but not between sexes, the preliminary and systematic survey, and study location (α=.05). Conclusion: The L.I.F.E. and this study methodology can be used to measure the prevalence of disability in African communities. Disability in this community was higher than the frequently cited estimate of 10%. African policymakers can use the L.I.F.E. to measure disability and thus more rationally allocate resources for medical rehabilitation.Pan African Medical Journal 2013; 14: 10

Exposure Analysis Methods Impact Associations between Maternal Physical Activity and Cesarean Delivery

Background: Previous studies report conflicting results regarding a possible association between maternal physical activity (PA) and cesarean delivery. Methods: 7-day PA recalls were collected by telephone from n=1205 pregnant women from North Carolina, without prior cesarean, during two time windows: 17-22 weeks and 27-30 weeks completed gestation. PA was treated as a continuous, non-linear variable in binomial regressions (log-link function); models controlled for primiparity, maternal contraindications to exercise, pre-eclampsia, pre-gravid BMI, and percent poverty. We examined both total PA and moderate-to-vigorous PA (MVPA) at each time. Outcomes data came from medical records. Results: The dose-response curves between PA or MVPA and cesarean risk at 17-22 weeks followed an inverse J-shape, but at 27-30 weeks the curves reversed and were J-shaped. However, only (total) PA at 27-30 weeks was strongly associated with cesarean risk; this association was attenuated when women reporting large volumes of PA (>97.5th percentile) were excluded. Conclusion: We did not find evidence of an association between physical activity and cesarean birth. We did, however, find evidence that associations between PA and risk of cesarean may be non-linear and dependent on gestational age at time of exposure, limiting the accuracy of analyses that collapse maternal PA into categories

Maternal super-obesity (body mass index ≥ 50) and adverse pregnancy outcomes

Abstract Objective. To determine if pregnancy complications are increased in super-obese (a body mass index (BMI) of 50 or more) compared to other, less obese parturients. Design. Cross-sectional study. Setting and population. All 19,700 eligible women, including 425 (2.2%) super-obese women with singleton births between 1996 and 2007 delivering at a tertiary referral center, identified using a perinatal research database. Methods. Bivariate and trend analyses were used to assess the relation between super-obesity and various pregnancy complications compared to other well-established BMI categories. Adjusted odds ratios (ORs) were calculated using multivariable logistic regression techniques. Main outcome measures. Outcomes for adjusted and unadjusted analyses were small-for-gestational age (SGA) birth, large-for-gestational age (LGA) birth, preeclampsia, gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM), fetal death, preterm birth, placental abruption, cesarean delivery, and Apgar scores < 7. Results. Compared to all other obese and non-obese women, super-obese women had the highest rates of preeclampsia, GDM, LGA, and cesarean delivery (all p < 0.05 for trend test). Super-obesity was also associated with a 44% reduction in SGA compared to all other women (OR 0.55, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.40–0.76) and a 25% reduction compared to other, less obese women (OR 0.75, 95% CI 0.54–1.03). Super-obesity was positively associated with LGA, GDM, preeclampsia, cesarean delivery, and a 5-minute Apgar score < 7 compared to all other women after controlling for important confounders. Conclusion. Super-obesity is associated with higher rates of pregnancy complications compared to women of all other BMI classes, including other obese women

Rationale, design, and methodology for the optimizing outcomes in women with gestational diabetes mellitus and their infants study

Background Women who are diagnosed with gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) are at increased risk for developing prediabetes and type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). To date, there have been few interdisciplinary interventions that target predominantly ethnic minority low-income women diagnosed with GDM. This paper describes the rationale, design and methodology of a 2-year, randomized, controlled study being conducted in North Carolina. Methods/Design Using a two-group, repeated measures, experimental design, we will test a 14- week intensive intervention on the benefits of breastfeeding, understanding gestational diabetes and risk of progression to prediabetes and T2DM, nutrition and exercise education, coping skills training, physical activity (Phase I), educational and motivational text messaging and 3 months of continued monthly contact (Phase II). A total of 100 African American, non-Hispanic white, and bilingual Hispanic women between 22–36 weeks of pregnancy who are diagnosed with GDM and their infants will be randomized to either the experimental group or the wait-listed control group. The first aim of the study is to determine the feasibility of the intervention. The second aim of study is to test the effects of the intervention on maternal outcomes from baseline (22–36 weeks pregnant) to 10 months postpartum. Primary maternal outcomes will include fasting blood glucose and weight (BMI) from baseline to 10 months postpartum. Secondary maternal outcomes will include clinical, adiposity, health behaviors and self-efficacy outcomes from baseline to 10 months postpartum. The third aim of the study is to quantify the effects of the intervention on infant feeding and growth. Infant outcomes will include weight status and breastfeeding from birth through 10 months of age. Data analysis will include general linear mixed-effects models. Safety endpoints include adverse event reporting. Discussion Findings from this trial may lead to an effective intervention to assist women diagnosed with GDM to improve maternal glucose homeostasis and weight as well as stabilize infant growth trajectory, reducing the burden of metabolic disease across two generations. Trial registration NCT0180943

Changes in Gene Expression and Cellular Architecture in an Ovarian Cancer Progression Model

BACKGROUND: Ovarian cancer is the fifth leading cause of cancer deaths among women. Early stage disease often remains undetected due the lack of symptoms and reliable biomarkers. The identification of early genetic changes could provide insights into novel signaling pathways that may be exploited for early detection and treatment. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: Mouse ovarian surface epithelial (MOSE) cells were used to identify stage-dependent changes in gene expression levels and signal transduction pathways by mouse whole genome microarray analyses and gene ontology. These cells have undergone spontaneous transformation in cell culture and transitioned from non-tumorigenic to intermediate and aggressive, malignant phenotypes. Significantly changed genes were overrepresented in a number of pathways, most notably the cytoskeleton functional category. Concurrent with gene expression changes, the cytoskeletal architecture became progressively disorganized, resulting in aberrant expression or subcellular distribution of key cytoskeletal regulatory proteins (focal adhesion kinase, α-actinin, and vinculin). The cytoskeletal disorganization was accompanied by altered patterns of serine and tyrosine phosphorylation as well as changed expression and subcellular localization of integral signaling intermediates APC and PKCβII. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: Our studies have identified genes that are aberrantly expressed during MOSE cell neoplastic progression. We show that early stage dysregulation of actin microfilaments is followed by progressive disorganization of microtubules and intermediate filaments at later stages. These stage-specific, step-wise changes provide further insights into the time and spatial sequence of events that lead to the fully transformed state since these changes are also observed in aggressive human ovarian cancer cell lines independent of their histological type. Moreover, our studies support a link between aberrant cytoskeleton organization and regulation of important downstream signaling events that may be involved in cancer progression. Thus, our MOSE-derived cell model represents a unique model for in depth mechanistic studies of ovarian cancer progression