An Examination of Dental Health Among Metropolitan and Appalachian Adolescents in Ohio

Background: Poor dental health is a common chronic condition among youth. Appalachian versus metropolitan residence, socioeconomic status, and health behaviors contribute to poor dental health. Limited research has directly compared dental health and risk factors for poor dental health among Appalachian and metropolitan youth. We exam-ined the association between dental health and residence among adolescent boys and explored socioeconomic and be-havioral factors that may contribute to differences in dental health.Methods: Adolescent males from metropolitan and rural Appalachian Ohio (n = 1220, age 11-16 years) reported their diet and tobacco use. Parents or guardians reported when boys had last visited the dentist and rated their dental health (excellent/very good/good versus fair/poor). Unadjusted logistic regression modeled the association between fair/poor dental health and residence (metropolitan versus Appalachian). Adjusted analyses controlled for race, household income, dental visits, diet, and tobacco use.Results: Appalachian (versus metropolitan) boys were more likely to have used tobacco in the past 30 days and consumed fewer fruit and vegetables, more added sugar, and more sugary beverages. The relation between dental health and Appalachian versus metropolitan residence did not reach statistical significance, and adjusting for behavioral factors did little to change the observed association.Conclusion: Our findings suggest that some of the urban/rural disparities in dental health observed in other stud-ies may be related to behavioral factors like tobacco use and diet, but much remains unexplained. We provide support for behavioral interventions to address these issues in the Appalachian community

HPV Vaccine Coverage Among Adolescent Males in Ohio: Results of a Longitudinal Study

Background: Human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine has been recommended for males in the United States since 2011, yet little is known about vaccine coverage among adolescent males in Ohio. Our longitudinal study examined HPV vaccine coverage among adolescent males in Ohio and identified predictors of vaccination.Methods: The Buckeye Teen Health Study recruited adolescent males aged 11 to 16 years and their parents from 1 urban county and 9 rural counties in Ohio. We report longitudinal vaccination data on 1126 adolescent males, with baseline data from 2015-2016 and follow-up data from 2017-2018. We used multivariable Poisson regression to identify predictors of HPV vaccine initiation that occurred between baseline and follow-up.Results: At baseline, 42.4% of parents reported their sons had initiated the HPV vaccine series. Among parents whose sons were unvaccinated at baseline, 36.3% indicated initiation at follow-up. Initiation at follow-up was more com-mon among sons who had received influenza vaccine (RR = 1.54, 95% CI = 1.08-2.18) or whose parents indicated lack of a recent visit to a doctor as the main reason for not yet vaccinating at baseline (RR = 1.41, 95% CI = 1.02-1.95). Initiation was less common among sons whose parents had an associate degree or some college education (RR = 0.28, 95% CI = 0.46-0.99). Main reasons for not vaccinating changed from baseline to follow-up among parents of unvaccinated sons.Conclusion: Although HPV vaccine initiation increased over time, many adolescent males in Ohio remain unvac-cinated. Findings can help guide future strategies for increasing HPV vaccine coverage among this population

Age, period and cohort effects in frequent cannabis use among US students: 1991–2018

Background and AimsAs the legal status of cannabis changes across the United States and modes of administration expand, it is important to examine the potential impact on adolescent cannabis use. This study aimed to assess changes in prevalence of frequent cannabis use in adolescents in the United States and how far this varies by age and cohort.DesignAnalysis of Monitoring the Future, a nationally representative annual survey of 8th‐, 10th‐ and 12th‐grade students in the United States conducted from 1991 to 2018.SettingIn‐school surveys completed by US adolescents.ParticipantsA total of 1 236 159 8th‐, 10th‐ and 12th‐graders; 51.5% female, 59.6% non‐Hispanic white, 12.3% non‐Hispanic black, 13.4% Hispanic and 14.7% other race/ethnicity.MeasurementsFrequent cannabis use (FCU), defined as six or more occasions in the past 30 days, stratified by sex, race/ethnicity and parental education.FindingsFCU among US adolescents increased over the study period; the peak in 2010–18 was 11.4% among 18‐year‐old students. This increase was best explained by both period and cohort effects. Compared with respondents in 2005, adolescents surveyed in 2018 had period effects in FCU that were 1.6 times greater. Adolescents in younger birth cohorts (those born > 1988) had a lower increase in FCU than those born prior to 1988. Results were consistent across sex, parent education and race/ethnicity, with period effects indicating increasing FCU after 2005 and cohort effects indicating a lower magnitude of increase in more recent birth cohorts. Age and parental education disparities in FCU have increased over time, whereas race/ethnicity differences have converged over time; black students were 0.67 [95% confidence interval (CI) = 0.64–0.70] times as likely to use cannabis frequently as white students from 1991 to 2000, and 1.03 (95% CI = 0.98–1.09) times as likely from 2011 to 2018 (P‐value for time interaction < 0.001).ConclusionsThe prevalence of frequent cannabis use (FCU) increased from 1991 to 2018 among older adolescents in the United States. Racial/ethnic differences in FCU converged, whereas parental education differences have diverged.Peer Reviewedhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/151314/1/add14665_am.pdfhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/151314/2/add14665.pd

Towards the synthetic design of camelina oil enriched in tailored acetyl-triacylglycerols with medium-chain fatty acids

The ability to manipulate expression of key biosynthetic enzymes has allowed the development of genetically modified plants that synthesise unusual lipids that are useful for biofuel and industrial applications. By taking advantage of the unique activities of enzymes from different species, tailored lipids with a targeted structure can be conceived. In this study we demonstrate the successful implementation of such an approach by metabolically engineering the oilseed crop Camelina sativa to produce 3-acetyl-1,2-diacyl-sn-glycerols (acetyl-TAGs) with medium-chain fatty acids (MCFAs). Different transgenic camelina lines that had been genetically modified to produce MCFAs through the expression of MCFA-specific thioesterases and acyltransferases were retransformed with the Euonymus alatus gene for diacylglycerol acetyltransferase (EaDAcT) that synthesises acetyl-TAGs. Concomitant RNAi suppression of acyl-CoA:diacylglycerol acyltransferase increased the levels of acetyl-TAG, with up to 77 mole percent in the best lines. However, the total oil content was reduced. Analysis of the composition of the acetyl-TAG molecular species using electrospray ionisation mass spectrometry demonstrated the successful synthesis of acetyl-TAG containing MCFAs. Field growth of high-yielding plants generated enough oil for quantification of viscosity. As part of an ongoing design–test–learn cycle, these results, which include not only the synthesis of ‘designer’ lipids but also their functional analysis, will lead to the future production of such molecules tailored for specific applications

What is a good medical decision? A research agenda guided by perspectives from multiple stakeholders

Informed and shared decision making are critical aspects of patient-centered care, which has contributed to an emphasis on decision support interventions to promote good medical decision making. However, researchers and healthcare providers have not reached a consensus on what defines a good decision, nor how to evaluate it. This position paper, informed by conference sessions featuring diverse stakeholders held at the 2015 Society of Behavioral Medicine and Society for Medical Decision Making annual meetings, describes key concepts that influence the decision making process itself and that may change what it means to make a good decision: interpersonal factors, structural constraints, affective influences, and values clarification methods. This paper also proposes specific research questions within each of these priority areas, with the goal of moving medical decision making research to a more comprehensive definition of a good medical decision, and enhancing the ability to measure and improve the decision making process

Clinical Research and Development of Tuberculosis Diagnostics: Moving From Silos to Synergy

The development, evaluation, and implementation of new and improved diagnostics have been identified as critical needs by human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and tuberculosis researchers and clinicians alike. These needs exist in international and domestic settings and in adult and pediatric populations. Experts in tuberculosis and HIV care, researchers, healthcare providers, public health experts, and industry representatives, as well as representatives of pertinent US federal agencies (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Food and Drug Administration, National Institutes of Health, United States Agency for International Development) assembled at a workshop proposed by the Diagnostics Working Group of the Federal Tuberculosis Taskforce to review the state of tuberculosis diagnostics development in adult and pediatric populations

The genomes of two key bumblebee species with primitive eusocial organization

Background: The shift from solitary to social behavior is one of the major evolutionary transitions. Primitively eusocial bumblebees are uniquely placed to illuminate the evolution of highly eusocial insect societies. Bumblebees are also invaluable natural and agricultural pollinators, and there is widespread concern over recent population declines in some species. High-quality genomic data will inform key aspects of bumblebee biology, including susceptibility to implicated population viability threats. Results: We report the high quality draft genome sequences of Bombus terrestris and Bombus impatiens, two ecologically dominant bumblebees and widely utilized study species. Comparing these new genomes to those of the highly eusocial honeybee Apis mellifera and other Hymenoptera, we identify deeply conserved similarities, as well as novelties key to the biology of these organisms. Some honeybee genome features thought to underpin advanced eusociality are also present in bumblebees, indicating an earlier evolution in the bee lineage. Xenobiotic detoxification and immune genes are similarly depauperate in bumblebees and honeybees, and multiple categories of genes linked to social organization, including development and behavior, show high conservation. Key differences identified include a bias in bumblebee chemoreception towards gustation from olfaction, and striking differences in microRNAs, potentially responsible for gene regulation underlying social and other traits. Conclusions: These two bumblebee genomes provide a foundation for post-genomic research on these key pollinators and insect societies. Overall, gene repertoires suggest that the route to advanced eusociality in bees was mediated by many small changes in many genes and processes, and not by notable expansion or depauperation

Deep Sequencing of the Nicastrin Gene in Pooled DNA, the Identification of Genetic Variants That Affect Risk of Alzheimer's Disease

Nicastrin is an obligatory component of the γ-secretase; the enzyme complex that leads to the production of Aβ fragments critically central to the pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease (AD). Analyses of the effects of common variation in this gene on risk for late onset AD have been inconclusive. We investigated the effect of rare variation in the coding regions of the Nicastrin gene in a cohort of AD patients and matched controls using an innovative pooling approach and next generation sequencing. Five SNPs were identified and validated by individual genotyping from 311 cases and 360 controls. Association analysis identified a non-synonymous rare SNP (N417Y) with a statistically higher frequency in cases compared to controls in the Greek population (OR 3.994, CI 1.105–14.439, p = 0.035). This finding warrants further investigation in a larger cohort and adds weight to the hypothesis that rare variation explains some of genetic heritability still to be identified in Alzheimer's disease

SHIP-Deficient Dendritic Cells, Unlike Wild Type Dendritic Cells, Suppress T Cell Proliferation via a Nitric Oxide-Independent Mechanism

Dendritic cells (DCs) not only play a crucial role in activating immune cells but also suppressing them. We recently investigated SHIP's role in murine DCs in terms of immune cell activation and found that TLR agonist-stimulated SHIP-/- GM-CSF-derived DCs (GM-DCs) were far less capable than wild type (WT, SHIP+/+) GM-DCs at activating T cell proliferation. This was most likely because SHIP-/- GM-DCs could not up-regulate MHCII and/or co-stimulatory receptors following TLR stimulation. However, the role of SHIP in DC-induced T cell suppression was not investigated.In this study we examined SHIP's role in DC-induced T cell suppression by co-culturing WT and SHIP-/- murine DCs, derived under different conditions or isolated from spleens, with αCD3+ αCD28 activated WT T cells and determined the relative suppressive abilities of the different DC subsets. We found that, in contrast to SHIP+/+ and -/- splenic or Flt3L-derived DCs, which do not suppress T cell proliferation in vitro, both SHIP+/+ and -/- GM-DCs were capable of potently suppressing T cell proliferation. However, WT GM-DC suppression appeared to be mediated, at least in part, by nitric oxide (NO) production while SHIP-/- GM-DCs expressed high levels of arginase 1 and did not produce NO. Following exhaustive studies to ascertain the mechanism of SHIP-/- DC-mediated suppression, we could conclude that cell-cell contact was required and the mechanism may be related to their relative immaturity, compared to SHIP+/+ GM-DCs.These findings suggest that although both SHIP+/+ and -/- GM-DCs suppress T cell proliferation, the mechanism(s) employed are different. WT GM-DCs suppress, at least in part, via IFNγ-induced NO production while SHIP-/- GM-DCs do not produce NO and suppression can only be alleviated when contact is prevented

Detecting Instability in Animal Social Networks: Genetic Fragmentation Is Associated with Social Instability in Rhesus Macaques

The persistence of biological systems requires evolved mechanisms which promote stability. Cohesive primate social groups are one example of stable biological systems, which persist in spite of regular conflict. We suggest that genetic relatedness and its associated kinship structure are a potential source of stability in primate social groups as kinship structure is an important organizing principle in many animal societies. We investigated the effect of average genetic relatedness per matrilineal family on the stability of matrilineal grooming and agonistic interactions in 48 matrilines from seven captive groups of rhesus macaques. Matrilines with low average genetic relatedness show increased family-level instability such as: more sub-grouping in their matrilineal groom network, more frequent fighting with kin, and higher rates of wounding. Family-level instability in multiple matrilines within a group is further associated with group-level instability such as increased wounding. Stability appears to arise from the presence of clear matrilineal structure in the rhesus macaque group hierarchy, which is derived from cohesion among kin in their affiliative and agonistic interactions with each other. We conclude that genetic relatedness and kinship structure are an important source of group stability in animal societies, particularly when dominance and/or affilative interactions are typically governed by kinship