The effects of food safety education on adolescents' hand hygiene behavior: an analysis of stages of change

The hand hygiene behavior of 400 middle school students (grades 1-3) in Seoul and Gyeonggi-Do was studied to determine how stages of change were affected by food safety education, focusing on hand hygiene and general food safety. Subjects were 51.3% male and 44.3% of study subjects were first graders of middle school. Approximately 40% of subjects were at the stage of action, 42.7% were at the stage of contemplation, and 16.4% were at pre-contemplation. The most important factor that influenced proper hand washing was self efficacy (P < 0.001). Proper hand washing was also correlated significantly with positive belief (P < 0.01) and stages of change (P < 0.01). After food safety education by high-school mentors, middle-school students who were in the stages of pre-contemplation (11.1%) and contemplation (88.9%) showed significant progression toward the action stage (P < 0.001). Proper hand washing (P < 0.01) and food safety knowledge (P < 0.05) were also significantly increased after educational intervention

The RhoGEF Trio Functions in Sculpting Class Specific Dendrite Morphogenesis in Drosophila Sensory Neurons

As the primary sites of synaptic or sensory input in the nervous system, dendrites play an essential role in processing neuronal and sensory information. Moreover, the specification of class specific dendrite arborization is critically important in establishing neural connectivity and the formation of functional networks. Cytoskeletal modulation provides a key mechanism for establishing, as well as reorganizing, dendritic morphology among distinct neuronal subtypes. While previous studies have established differential roles for the small GTPases Rac and Rho in mediating dendrite morphogenesis, little is known regarding the direct regulators of these genes in mediating distinct dendritic architectures.Here we demonstrate that the RhoGEF Trio is required for the specification of class specific dendritic morphology in dendritic arborization (da) sensory neurons of the Drosophila peripheral nervous system (PNS). Trio is expressed in all da neuron subclasses and loss-of-function analyses indicate that Trio functions cell-autonomously in promoting dendritic branching, field coverage, and refining dendritic outgrowth in various da neuron subtypes. Moreover, overexpression studies demonstrate that Trio acts to promote higher order dendritic branching, including the formation of dendritic filopodia, through Trio GEF1-dependent interactions with Rac1, whereas Trio GEF-2-dependent interactions with Rho1 serve to restrict dendritic extension and higher order branching in da neurons. Finally, we show that de novo dendritic branching, induced by the homeodomain transcription factor Cut, requires Trio activity suggesting these molecules may act in a pathway to mediate dendrite morphogenesis.Collectively, our analyses implicate Trio as an important regulator of class specific da neuron dendrite morphogenesis via interactions with Rac1 and Rho1 and indicate that Trio is required as downstream effector in Cut-mediated regulation of dendrite branching and filopodia formation

Transcriptional Regulation Is a Major Controller of Cell Cycle Transition Dynamics

DNA replication, mitosis and mitotic exit are critical transitions of the cell cycle which normally occur only once per cycle. A universal control mechanism was proposed for the regulation of mitotic entry in which Cdk helps its own activation through two positive feedback loops. Recent discoveries in various organisms showed the importance of positive feedbacks in other transitions as well. Here we investigate if a universal control system with transcriptional regulation(s) and post-translational positive feedback(s) can be proposed for the regulation of all cell cycle transitions. Through computational modeling, we analyze the transition dynamics in all possible combinations of transcriptional and post-translational regulations. We find that some combinations lead to ‘sloppy’ transitions, while others give very precise control. The periodic transcriptional regulation through the activator or the inhibitor leads to radically different dynamics. Experimental evidence shows that in cell cycle transitions of organisms investigated for cell cycle dependent periodic transcription, only the inhibitor OR the activator is under cyclic control and never both of them. Based on these observations, we propose two transcriptional control modes of cell cycle regulation that either STOP or let the cycle GO in case of a transcriptional failure. We discuss the biological relevance of such differences

Cutaneous lesions of the nose

Skin diseases on the nose are seen in a variety of medical disciplines. Dermatologists, otorhinolaryngologists, general practitioners and general plastic and dermatologic surgeons are regularly consulted regarding cutaneous lesions on the nose. This article is the second part of a review series dealing with cutaneous lesions on the head and face, which are frequently seen in daily practice by a dermatologic surgeon. In this review, we focus on those skin diseases on the nose where surgery or laser therapy is considered a possible treatment option or that can be surgically evaluated

Trio is required for dendritic branching and the formation of filopodia in class III da neurons.

<p>(<b>A,B</b>) Live confocal images of third instar larval dorsal class III and IV da neurons labeled by the F-actin reporter, <i>UAS-GMA</i>, and driven by the <i>ppk-GAL4</i> transgene. Class III da neurons are distinguished by the presence of short, actin-rich dendritic filopodia emanating from the primary branches. The class III ddaA and ddaF neuron cell bodies are indicated by the arrows and for clarity the class III neuron cell bodies and dendrites have been highlighted by a magenta pseudo-color trace overlay. As compared to wild-type controls (<b>A</b>), <i>UAS-trio^RNAi</i> knockdown results in a strong reduction in dendritic branching particularly with respect to the characteristic dendritic filopodia in class III neurons (<b>B</b>). (<b>C</b>) Quantitative analyses of the average number of dendritic terminals reveal significant reductions in branching proximal and distal to the cell body. For these analyses, 100×100 micron boxes were drawn in parallel areas proximal and distal to the cell body in both wild-type and <i>trio^RNAi</i> and the average number of dendritic terminals quantified. Images were taken at 20× magnification and size bar represents 50 microns. The total <i>n</i> value for each neuron and genotype quantified is reported on the bar graph. Statistically significant <i>p</i> values are reported on the graph as follows (** = <i>p</i><0.01; *** = <i>p</i><0.001). Genotypes: <b>WT</b>: <i>UAS-GMA/+;ppk-GAL4</i>/+;+. <b><i>trio^RNAi</i></b>: <i>UAS-GMA/+;ppk-GAL4/+;UAS-trio^RNAi/+</i>.</p