PLANT FOLIAR PHOSPHORUS AND SILICON CONTENT CHANGES IN RESPONSE TO ROOT FUNGAL COMMUNITIES AND SILICON ENRICHMENT

Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) are plant root symbionts that supply limiting nutrients, largely phosphorus (P), to plants in exchange for carbon. Silicon (Si) is an important defence element for plants and several reports have observed a relationship between AMF colonisation and Si uptake. It is unknown how diverse soil microbial communities affect foliar Si and P concentrations, and whether improvements in foliar Si concentrations due to AMF colonisation are observed in field conditions. This is the first study to document the dual effects of AMF and Si application in a non-crop species (Brachypodium sylvaticum) and the effect of different microbial communities, on plant uptake and deposition of Si and P. An initial glasshouse experiment used a single species AMF inoculum in combination with a Si enrichment treatment to investigate the effect on foliar Si and P concentration. The results showed that AMF improved the uptake of Si and P compared to non-colonised plants, but that different mechanisms for uptake are likely. Introducing microbial communities isolated from agricultural and woodland environments as inocula in a controlled environment showed that microbial diversity alters the efficacy of Si and P supply, and that improvements in the supply of these were not directly related to AMF colonisation. Finally, B. sylvaticum plants from woodland were sampled across two years. The results of this sampling did not show any benefit of AMF on Si and P uptake, but did reveal significant differences in P concentration over time irrespective of fungal colonisation. Comparisons between studies using high throughput sequencing demonstrates that the methods commonly used in mycorrhizal studies may be overlooking important interactions with un-recorded organisms in the soil and roots of experimental plants. Ecologically relevant studies incorporating long-term repeated sampling are required to fully understand how microbial communities can improve Si and P nutrition in plants

Pregnancy and Mental Health Care Among Women Veterans Returning from Iraq and Afghanistan

Presentation looking at pregnancy and mental health care in the VA system. Documents a study examining the prevalence of pregnancy care and comparing the mental health diagnoses among pregnant and non-pregnant women in VA care. Then examining the degree to which pregnant veterans receive VA mental health care during their pregnancy. Concludes that pregnant women veterans using VA care have a substantial mental health burden

Women at war: Understanding how women veterans cope with combat and military sexual trauma

The wars in Iraq (Operation Iraqi Freedom, OIF) and Afghanistan (Operation Enduring Freedom, OEF) have engendered a growing population of US female veterans, with women now comprising 15% of active US duty military personnel. Women serving in the military come under direct fire and experience combatrelated injuries and trauma, and are also often subject to in-service sexual assaults and sexual harassment. However, little is known regarding howwomen veterans cope with these combat and military sexual trauma experiences once they return from deployment. To better understand their experiences, we conducted semi-structured interviews with nineteen OEF/OIF women veterans between JanuaryeNovember 2009. Women veterans identified stressful military experiences and post-deployment reintegration problems as major stressors. Stressful military experiences included combat experiences, military sexual trauma, and separation from family. Women had varying abilities to address and manage stressors, and employed various cognitive and behavioral coping resources and processes to manage their stress

The burden of illness in the first year home: do male and female VA users differ in health conditions and healthcare utilization

BACKGROUND: we sought to describe gender differences in medical and mental health conditions and health care utilization among veterans who used Veterans Health Administration (VA) services in the first year after combat in Iraq and Afghanistan. METHODS: this is an observational study, using VA administrative and clinical data bases, of 163,812 Operation Enduring Freedom/Operation Iraqi Freedom veterans who had enrolled in VA and who had at least one visit within 1 year of last deployment. RESULTS: female veterans were slightly younger (mean age, 30 years vs. 32 for men;

Physical Activity and Physical Fitness: Standardizing Assessment with the PhenX Toolkit

The focus of the PhenX (Phenotypes and eXposures) Toolkit is to provide researchers whose expertise lies outside a particular area with key measures identified by experts for uniform use in large-scale genetic studies and other extensive epidemiologic efforts going forward. The current paper specifically addresses the PhenX Toolkit research domain of physical activity and physical fitness (PA/PF), which are often associated with health outcomes. A Working Group (WG) of content experts completed a 6-month consensus process in which they identified a set of 14 high-priority, low-burden, and scientifically supported measures. During this process, the WG considered self-reported and objective measures that included the latest technology (e.g., accelerometers, pedometers, and heart-rate monitors). They also sought the input of measurement experts and other members of the research community during their deliberations. A majority of the measures include protocols for children (or adolescents), adults, and older adults or are applicable to all ages. Measures from the PA/PF domain and 20 other domains are publicly available and found at the PhenX Toolkit website, www.phenxtoolkit.org. The use of common measures and protocols across large studies enhances the capacity to combine or compare data across studies, benefiting both PA/PF experts and non-experts. Use of these common measures by the research community should increase statistical power and enhance the ability to answer scientific questions that previously might have gone unanswered

Enhancing Mental and Physical Health of Women through Engagement and Retention (EMPOWER): a protocol for a program of research.

BackgroundThe Enhancing Mental and Physical health of Women through Engagement and Retention or EMPOWER program represents a partnership with the US Department of Veterans Health Administration (VA) Health Service Research and Development investigators and the VA Office of Women's Health, National Center for Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, Primary Care-Mental Health Integration Program Office, Women's Mental Health Services, and the Office of Patient Centered Care and Cultural Transformation. EMPOWER includes three projects designed to improve women Veterans' engagement and retention in evidence-based care for high-priority health conditions, i.e., prediabetes, cardiovascular, and mental health.Methods/designThe three proposed projects will be conducted in VA primary care clinics that serve women Veterans including general primary care and women's health clinics. The first project is a 1-year quality improvement project targeting diabetes prevention. Two multi-site research implementation studies will focus on cardiovascular risk prevention and collaborative care to address women Veterans' mental health treatment needs respectively. All projects will use the evidence-based Replicating Effective Programs (REP) implementation strategy, enhanced with multi-stakeholder engagement and complexity theory. Mixed methods implementation evaluations will focus on investigating primary implementation outcomes of adoption, acceptability, feasibility, and reach. Program-wide organizational-, provider-, and patient-level measures and tools will be utilized to enhance synergy, productivity, and impact. Both implementation research studies will use a non-randomized stepped wedge design.DiscussionEMPOWER represents a coherent program of women's health implementation research and quality improvement that utilizes cross-project implementation strategies and evaluation methodology. The EMPOWER Quality Enhancement Research Initiative (QUERI) will constitute a major milestone for realizing women Veterans' engagement and empowerment in the VA system. EMPOWER QUERI will be conducted in close partnership with key VA operations partners, such as the VA Office of Women's Health, to disseminate and spread the programs nationally.Trial registrationThe two implementation research studies described in this protocol have been registered as required: Facilitating Cardiovascular Risk Screening and Risk Reduction in Women Veterans: Trial registration NCT02991534 , registered 9 December 2016. Implementation of Tailored Collaborative Care for Women Veterans: Trial registration NCT02950961 , registered 21 October 2016