Perceived Awareness of 4-h Youth Programs by the Adult Population of Canadian County, Oklahoma

Agricultural Educatio

Foetal testosterone and autistic traits in 18 to 24-month-old children.

BACKGROUND: Autism spectrum conditions have been characterised as an extreme presentation of certain male-typical psychological traits. In addition, several studies have established a link between prenatal exposure to testosterone and cognitive sex differences in later life, and one study found that foetal testosterone (FT) is positively correlated to autistic traits in 6 to 10 year-old children. In this study, we tested whether FT is positively correlated with autistic traits in toddlers aged 18-24 months. METHODS: Levels of FT were analysed in amniotic fluid and compared with autistic traits, measured using the Quantitative Checklist for Autism in Toddlers (Q-CHAT) in 129 typically developing toddlers aged between 18 and 24 months (mean +/- SD 19.25 +/- 1.52 months). RESULTS: Sex differences were observed in Q-CHAT scores, with boys scoring significantly higher (indicating more autistic traits) than girls. In addition, we confirmed a significant positive relationship between FT levels and autistic traits. CONCLUSIONS: The current findings in children between 18 and 24 months of age are consistent with observations in older children showing a positive association between elevated FT levels and autistic traits. Given that sex steroid-related gene variations are associated with autistic traits in adults, this new finding suggests that the brain basis of autistic traits may reflect individual differences in prenatal androgens and androgen-related genes. The consistency of findings in early childhood, later childhood and adulthood suggests that this is a robust association.RIGHTS : This article is licensed under the BioMed Central licence at http://www.biomedcentral.com/about/license which is similar to the 'Creative Commons Attribution Licence'. In brief you may : copy, distribute, and display the work; make derivative works; or make commercial use of the work - under the following conditions: the original author must be given credit; for any reuse or distribution, it must be made clear to others what the license terms of this work are

The effect of regular exercise on insulin sensitivity in type 2 diabetes mellitus: A systematic review and meta-analysis

The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of regular exercise training on insulin sensitivity in adults with type 2 diabetes mellitus ( T2DM ) using the pooled data available from randomised controlled trials. In addition, we sought to determine whether short-term periods of physical inactivity diminish the exercise-induced improvement in insulin sensitivity. Eligible trials included exercise interventions that involved ≥3 exercise sessions, and reported a dynamic measurement of insulin sensitivity. There was a significant pooled effect size ( ES ) for the effect of exercise on insulin sensitivity ( ES, –0.588; 95% confidence interval [CI], –0.816 to –0.359; P < 0.001 ). Of the 14 studies included for meta-analyses, nine studies reported the time of data collection from the last exercise bout. There was a significant improvement in insulin sensitivity in favour of exercise versus control between 48 and 72 hours after exercise ( ES, –0.702; 95% CI, –1.392 to –0.012; P=0.046 ); and this persisted when insulin sensitivity was measured more than 72 hours after the last exercise session ( ES, –0.890; 95% CI, –1.675 to –0.105; P=0.026 ). Regular exercise has a significant benefit on insulin sensitivity in adults with T2DM and this may persist beyond 72 hours after the last exercise session

Prenatal versus postnatal sex steroid hormone effects on autistic traits in children at 18 to 24 months of age.

BACKGROUND: Studies of prenatal exposure to sex steroid hormones predict autistic traits in children at 18 to 24 and at 96 months of age. However, it is not known whether postnatal exposure to these hormones has a similar effect. This study compares prenatal and postnatal sex steroid hormone levels in relation to autistic traits in 18 to 24-month-old children.Fetal testosterone (fT) and fetal estradiol (fE) levels were measured in amniotic fluid from pregnant women (n = 35) following routine second-trimester amniocentesis. Saliva samples were collected from these children when they reached three to four months of age and were analyzed for postnatal testosterone (pT) levels. Mothers were asked to complete the Quantitative Checklist for Autism in Toddlers (Q-CHAT), a measure of autistic traits in children 18 to 24 months old. FINDING: fT (but not pT) levels were positively associated with scores on the Q-CHAT. fE and pT levels showed no sex differences and no relationships with fT levels. fT levels were the only variable that predicted Q-CHAT scores. CONCLUSIONS: These preliminary findings are consistent with the hypothesis that prenatal (but not postnatal) androgen exposure, coinciding with the critical period for sexual differentiation of the brain, is associated with the development of autistic traits in 18 to 24 month old toddlers. However, it is recognized that further work with a larger sample population is needed before the effects of postnatal androgen exposure on autistic traits can be ruled out. These results are also in line with the fetal androgen theory of autism, which suggests that prenatal, organizational effects of androgen hormones influence the development of autistic traits in later life.RIGHTS : This article is licensed under the BioMed Central licence at http://www.biomedcentral.com/about/license which is similar to the 'Creative Commons Attribution Licence'. In brief you may : copy, distribute, and display the work; make derivative works; or make commercial use of the work - under the following conditions: the original author must be given credit; for any reuse or distribution, it must be made clear to others what the license terms of this work are

Functional significance may underlie the taxonomic utility of single amino acid substitutions in conserved proteins

We hypothesized that some amino acid substitutions in conserved proteins that are strongly fixed by critical functional roles would show lineage-specific distributions. As an example of an archetypal conserved eukaryotic protein we considered the active site of ß-tubulin. Our analysis identified one amino acid substitution—ß-tubulin F224—which was highly lineage specific. Investigation of ß-tubulin for other phylogenetically restricted amino acids identified several with apparent specificity for well-defined phylogenetic groups. Intriguingly, none showed specificity for “supergroups” other than the unikonts. To understand why, we analysed the ß-tubulin Neighbor-Net and demonstrated a fundamental division between core ß-tubulins (plant-like) and divergent ß-tubulins (animal and fungal). F224 was almost completely restricted to the core ß-tubulins, while divergent ß-tubulins possessed Y224. Thus, our specific example offers insight into the restrictions associated with the co-evolution of ß-tubulin during the radiation of eukaryotes, underlining a fundamental dichotomy between F-type, core ß-tubulins and Y-type, divergent ß-tubulins. More broadly our study provides proof of principle for the taxonomic utility of critical amino acids in the active sites of conserved proteins

P284 Evaluation of a self-management smartphone app for those living with Sjögren’s syndrome: a fully remote randomised pilot and feasibility trial

Background/Aims People with Sjögren's Syndrome (SS) experience a range of symptoms, including dryness, pain, fatigue, and poor sleep. Pharmacological management is limited, and SS patients may not have timely access to non-pharmacological support with these symptoms. Accessible evidence-based support via an app may benefit some. An evidence-based app (Sjogo) was co-developed with SS patients through a series of focus groups and workshops (n = 7). Alongside the workshops, behaviour change techniques and evidence-based intervention components were identified from the literature and known evidence-based interventions and were discussed with participants in focus groups. An app was developed containing active ingredients (e.g. features supporting behaviour change, validation of experiences, reflective activity diary, goal setting, cognitive behaviour therapy for sleep) to facilitate participation in daily activities and support symptom management. An additional control app was developed which contained “information only” content. We conducted a fully remote pilot feasibility RCT of the app. The aim of the study was to test trial procedures including recruitment rates, outcome completion, and engagement with the app. Methods The Sjogo app was released internationally for 8 weeks on Android and iOS app stores in January 2021. Potential participants were alerted to the trial through social media and patient groups. Those who downloaded the app were guided through in-app study procedures (screening, informed consent, demographic questions and baseline symptom, patient activation and quality of life outcome completion). Outcome measures included ESSPRI, Modified Fatigue Impact Scale, depression (VAS), anxiety (VAS), Sleep Condition Index, PAM-10 and ICECAP-A. Participants were randomised to an information-version (control) or full-version of Sjogo containing features supporting behaviour change. Users could engage with Sjogo as they wished and were asked to complete outcomes at baseline, 5 and 10 weeks. Results 996 participants from 33 countries downloaded Sjogo, with 617 (61.95%) completing the onboarding procedures and consenting to participate in the study. These participants were randomised to the full-version of the app (n = 318) or control-version (n = 299). Participants were mostly female (95.62%) iOS users (55.11%) from the UK (54.62%) or USA (28.92%) with a mean age of 50.97 (SD 13.75). Outcome completion rates at 5 and 10 weeks were 29.24% and 13.52% respectively for the full-version and 44.48% and 28.42% for the control-version. Conclusion Completion rates demonstrate that Sjogo can be evaluated in a real-world context in a fully powered RCT with large numbers of participants over a short timescale. However, maintaining engagement rates is challenging. App design could be optimised to maintain effective engagement with the app and support behaviour change. A process evaluation which includes further analysis of app engagement data and interviews with participants will further inform improvements to app content, features and trial procedures

Fetal Testosterone Predicts Sexually Differentiated Childhood Behavior in Girls and in Boys

ABSTRACT—Mammals, including humans, show sex differences in juvenile play behavior. In rodents and nonhuman primates, these behavioral sex differences result, in part, from sex differences in androgens during early development. Girls exposed to high levels of androgen prenatally, because of the genetic disorder congenital adrenal hyperplasia, show increased male-typical play, suggesting similar hormonal influences on human development, at least in females. Here, we report that fetal testosterone measured from amniotic fluid relates positively to male-typical scores on a standardized questionnaire measure of sextypical play in both boys and girls. These results show, for the first time, a link between fetal testosterone and the development of sex-typical play in children from the general population, and are the first data linking high levels of prenatal testosterone to increased male-typical play behavior in boys. Sexual differentiation of the mammalian brain occurs under the control of gonadal hormones, particularly androgens, during early development (De Vries &amp; Simerly, 2002; Ehrhardt &amp

Intelligence within BAOR and NATO's Northern Army Group

During the Cold War the UK's principal military role was its commitment to the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) through the British Army of the Rhine (BAOR), together with wartime command of NATO's Northern Army Group. The possibility of a surprise attack by the numerically superior Warsaw Pact forces ensured that great importance was attached to intelligence, warning and rapid mobilisation. As yet we know very little about the intelligence dimension of BAOR and its interface with NATO allies. This article attempts to address these neglected issues, ending with the impact of the 1973 Yom Kippur War upon NATO thinking about warning and surprise in the mid-1970s. It concludes that the arrangements made by Whitehall for support to BAOR from national assets during crisis or transition to war were - at best - improbable. Accordingly, over the years, BAOR developed its own unique assets in the realm of both intelligence collection and special operations in order to prepare for the possible outbreak of conflict

The assessment of vascular risk in men with erectile dysfunction: the role of the cardiologist and general physician.

Erectile dysfunction (ED) and cardiovascular disease (CVD) share risk factors and frequently coexist, with endothelial dysfunction believed to be the pathophysiologic link. ED is common, affecting more than 70% of men with known CVD. In addition, clinical studies have demonstrated that ED in men with no known CVD often precedes a CVD event by 2-5 years. ED severity has been correlated with increasing plaque burden in patients with coronary artery disease. ED is an independent marker of increased CVD risk including all-cause and especially CVD mortality, particularly in men aged 30-60 years. Thus, ED identifies a window of opportunity for CVD risk mitigation. We recommend that a thorough history, physical exam (including visceral adiposity), assessment of ED severity and duration and evaluation including fasting plasma glucose, lipids, resting electrocardiogram, family history, lifestyle factors, serum creatinine (estimated glomerular filtration rate) and albumin:creatinine ratio, and determination of the presence or absence of the metabolic syndrome be performed to characterise cardiovascular risk in all men with ED. Assessment of testosterone levels should also be considered and biomarkers may help to further quantify risk, even though their roles in development of CVD have not been firmly established. Finally, we recommend that a question about ED be included in assessment of CVD risk in all men and be added to CVD risk assessment guidelines