Novel Eurasian Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza A H5 Viruses in Wild Birds, Washington, USA, 2014

The novel Eurasian lineage clade 2.3.4.4 highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) A(H5N8) virus (http://www.who.int/influenza/gisrs_laboratory/h5_nomenclature_clade2344/en/) spread rapidly and globally during 2014, substantially affecting poultry populations. The first outbreaks were reported during January 2014 in chickens and domestic ducks in South Korea and subsequently in China and Japan (1–4), reaching Germany, the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom by November 2014 and Italy in early December 2014 (5). Also in November 2014, a novel HPAI H5N2 virus was reported in outbreaks on chicken and turkey farms in Fraser Valley, British Columbia, Canada (5). This H5N2 influenza virus is a reassortant that contains the Eurasian clade 2.3.4.4 H5 plus 4 other Eurasian genes (polymerase acidic protein subunit, matrix protein, polymerase basic protein subunit [PB] 2, nonstructural protein) and 3 North American wild bird lineage genes (neuraminidase [NA], nucleoprotein, PB1) (5). Taiwan has recently reported novel reassortants of the H5 clade 2.3.4.4 with other Eurasian viruses (H5N2, H5N3)

Assessment of BED HIV-1 Incidence Assay in Seroconverter Cohorts: Effect of Individuals with Long-Term Infection and Importance of Stable Incidence

BACKGROUND: Performance of the BED assay in estimating HIV-1 incidence has previously been evaluated by using longitudinal specimens from persons with incident HIV infections, but questions remain about its accuracy. We sought to assess its performance in three longitudinal cohorts from Thailand where HIV-1 CRF01_AE and subtype B' dominate the epidemic. DESIGN: BED testing was conducted in two longitudinal cohorts with only incident infections (a military conscript cohort and an injection drug user cohort) and in one longitudinal cohort (an HIV-1 vaccine efficacy trial cohort) that also included long-term infections. METHODS: Incidence estimates were generated conventionally (based on the number of annual serocoversions) and by using BED test results in the three cohorts. Adjusted incidence was calculated where appropriate. RESULTS: For each longitudinal cohort the BED incidence estimates and the conventional incidence estimates were similar when only newly infected persons were tested, whether infected with CRF01_AE or subtype B'. When the analysis included persons with long-term infections (to mimic a true cross-sectional cohort), BED incidence estimates were higher, although not significantly, than the conventional incidence estimates. After adjustment, the BED incidence estimates were closer to the conventional incidence estimates. When the conventional incidence varied over time, as in the early phase of the injection drug user cohort, the difference between the two estimates increased, but not significantly. CONCLUSIONS: Evaluation of the performance of incidence assays requires the inclusion of a substantial number of cohort-derived specimens from individuals with long-term HIV infection and, ideally, the use of cohorts in which incidence remained stable. Appropriate adjustments of the BED incidence estimates generate estimates similar to those generated conventionally

The Evolution of Epigenetic Regulators CTCF and BORIS/CTCFL in Amniotes

CTCF is an essential, ubiquitously expressed DNA-binding protein responsible for insulator function, nuclear architecture, and transcriptional control within vertebrates. The gene CTCF was proposed to have duplicated in early mammals, giving rise to a paralogue called “brother of regulator of imprinted sites” (BORIS or CTCFL) with DNA binding capabilities similar to CTCF, but testis-specific expression in humans and mice. CTCF and BORIS have opposite regulatory effects on human cancer-testis genes, the anti-apoptotic BAG1 gene, the insulin-like growth factor 2/H19 imprint control region (IGF2/H19 ICR), and show mutually exclusive expression in humans and mice, suggesting that they are antagonistic epigenetic regulators. We discovered orthologues of BORIS in at least two reptilian species and found traces of its sequence in the chicken genome, implying that the duplication giving rise to BORIS occurred much earlier than previously thought. We analysed the expression of CTCF and BORIS in a range of amniotes by conventional and quantitative PCR. BORIS, as well as CTCF, was found widely expressed in monotremes (platypus) and reptiles (bearded dragon), suggesting redundancy or cooperation between these genes in a common amniote ancestor. However, we discovered that BORIS expression was gonad-specific in marsupials (tammar wallaby) and eutherians (cattle), implying that a functional change occurred in BORIS during the early evolution of therian mammals. Since therians show imprinting of IGF2 but other vertebrate taxa do not, we speculate that CTCF and BORIS evolved specialised functions along with the evolution of imprinting at this and other loci, coinciding with the restriction of BORIS expression to the germline and potential antagonism with CTCF

Role for migratory wild birds in the global spread of avian influenza H5N8

Avian influenza viruses affect both poultry production and public health. A subtype H5N8 (clade 2.3.4.4) virus, following an outbreak in poultry in South Korea in January 2014, rapidly spread worldwide in 2014-2015. Our analysis of H5N8 viral sequences, epidemiological investigations, waterfowl migration, and poultry trade showed that long-distance migratory birds can play a major role in the global spread of avian influenza viruses. Further, we found that the hemagglutinin of clade 2.3.4.4 virus was remarkably promiscuous, creating reassortants with multiple neuraminidase subtypes. Improving our understanding of the circumpolar circulation of avian influenza viruses in migratory waterfowl will help to provide early warning of threats from avian influenza to poultry, and potentially human, health

Aging, Technology, Innovation, and its Impact on Families

Dr. Tim Killian’s research interests are generally focused on social connectedness of older adults and how social and community contexts are related to health and well-being. Tim’s doctoral studies examined perceptions of normative obligations for adult children to provide resources and caregiving to their aging parents and step-parents. Dr. Killian was able to transfer that focus on research into secondary analyses of nationally representative data to develop typologies of both upstream and downstream transfers of monetary and caregiving resources between older adults and their adult children. As his career has continued at the University of Arkansas, his focus has shifted to the community context of aging and, in particular, how aging and social connections vary across the spectrum of rurality. Dr. Killian has published a paper with a recent Masters graduate on the relationship between ill-being and its association to engagement in leisure activities within long-term care using data that were mostly collected in rural long-term care facilities. In collaboration with colleagues including nursing faculty at the University of Arkansas, Dr. Killian has also used secondary analyses of data from the nationally representative Health and Retirement Study to examine emergency preparedness of older adults to increase their resilience and recovery outcomes during and subsequent to disasters. His research in progress continues to focus on emergency preparedness and post-disaster recovery among older adults, as well as on the formation of romantic relationships of older adults

Higher Education No Panacea for Weak Rural Economies

Education is much touted as the most important factor in stimulating employment growth. But the importance of higher education levels has probably been overstated. Other factors also come into play. The mix of local industries, local labor costs, and location can all affect employment growth. When all characteristics of a local economy are considered, education appears less important than some of those other factors

Measuring Family Resilience: Quantitative versus Qualitative Approaches

Family resilience is bandied about construct that is used rather imprecisely, including with its measurement. Although family resilience is now in its third wave (Henry, Morris & Harrist, 2015), findings from qualitative research and case studies are as, if not more, plentiful than those from quantitative research (e.g., author cites; Anderson, Amanor-Boadu, Stith, & Foster, 2015; Jackson, Wolven, & Aguilera, 2013). Until the development of the Walsh Family Resilience Questionnaire (WFRQ) in 2015, a family level resilience instrument based on Walsh’s theoretical framework (2003) was not readily available. Thus, the debate of qualitative versus quantitative measurement of family resilience continues. The purpose of the proposed roundtable is to continue the debate by discussing the relative merit of qualitative and quantitative approaches to the measurement of family resilience. The roundtable will conclude with a discussion about the importance of cultural competence in family resilience research (author cite; Walsh, 2015)