Intake of methyl-related nutrients and risk of pancreatic cancer in a population-based case-control study in Minnesota

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: Folate, vitamin B6, vitamin B12, and methionine are involved in DNA synthesis and methylation and thus may modulate pancreatic cancer risk. We investigated these associations in a population-based case-control study conducted in 1994-1998. SUBJECTS/METHODS: Cases (n = 150) were identified from all hospitals in the metropolitan areas of the Twin Cities and the Mayo Clinic, Minnesota. Controls (n = 459) were selected randomly from the general population and were frequency matched to cases by age, sex, and race. Logistic regression was used to estimate odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CI) for risk of pancreatic cancer in relation to intake of nutrients considered. RESULTS: Dietary intake of folate was associated with a reduced pancreatic cancer risk [OR (95% CI) for quartile (Q) 4 vs. Q1: 0.31 (0.12-0.78)]. A composite score (range from 2 to 8), reflecting combined dietary intake of folate and vitamin B6, was also inversely associated with pancreatic cancer risk [OR (95% CI) for Q4 vs. Q1: 0.24 (0.08-0.70)]. Null associations were found for intake of vitamin B12 and methionine. CONCLUSIONS: Dietary folate intake was associated with a reduced pancreatic cancer risk, and this association became stronger when dietary intake of folate and vitamin B6 was combined in analysis

The Frequency of Sexual Perpetration in College Men: A Systematic Review of Reported Prevalence Rates from 2000-2017

Background: The prevalence of sexual perpetration in college men is unknown. Prior reviews of sexual violence prevalence rates have produced wide-ranging estimates, likely due to wide variation in measurement strategies. Objectives: This paper systematically reviewed research findings (from 2000-2017) regarding prevalence rates of sexual perpetration in college men and measurement strategies. Data Sources: PsycINFO and Web of Science databases. Eligibility Criteria: Empirical reports published between 2000-2017 that included male participants, available in English, and reported lifetime prevalence findings in Canadian or American college students. Participants: Data from 78 independent samples including 25,524 college men. Results: The average prevalence rate of any sexual perpetration was 29.3% (SD = 16.8), and the average rate of rape was 6.5% (SD = 6.3). Studies that used non-Sexual Experiences Survey (SES) based questionnaires recorded higher prevalence rates (41.5%) than SES-using studies (26.2%). At least sixteen different sexual perpetration questionnaires were identified. Modifying standardized questionnaires was extremely common; this was reported in over half the studies. Studies using modified standardized questionnaires found higher prevalence rates of sexual perpetration than studies using non-modified standardized questionnaires. Limitations: This report focused exclusively on college men in the United States and Canada. Conclusions and Implications: On average, 29% of college males report engaging in behaviors defined as sexual perpetration; however, there was a strong influence of measurement strategy on reported rates

Barriers and Facilitators to Implementing Healthy Food Retail Programs: Extension Agents’ Perceptions

The purpose of this cross-sectional study was to understand the perceptions Extension professionals have about healthy food retail programs (HFRPs). Family and Consumer Science (FCS) agents from one state in the southeastern United States were interviewed about their definitions of HFRPs, what challenges and benefits existed, and strategies for successful HFRP implementation. Participants reported that HFRPs would bring immense benefits to their communities, including expanding the recognition of Extension. However, one specific suggestion that was identified was hands-on training needed before initiating HFRPs, particularly on strategies for relationship development with retail store owners

New Measure to Screen Deaf Women for Perinatal Depression

Approximately 1 million women in the U.S. have profound hearing loss and use American Sign Language (ASL) as their primary language. Many providers are unfamiliar with the unique linguistic and cultural needs of the Deaf community, therefore Deaf women experience major obstacles to receiving effective physical and mental healthcare. For example, failure to provide ASL interpreters or translations from written English is a common communication barrier that prevents Deaf women from receiving health-related treatment and information. In 2017, Drs. Melissa Anderson, Kelly Wolf Craig, and Nancy Byatt were awarded a 1-year pilot project grant for their Creating the Capacity to Screen Deaf Women for Perinatal Depression project. The primary goal of this project was to translate the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) from written English to American Sign Language (ASL). Using the new ASL EPDS, the team aimed to recruit 50 Deaf perinatal women from across the United States to conduct depression screening interviews. This brief describes the study, its results and future plans

Poly(Limonene Thioether) Scaffold for Tissue Engineering

A photocurable thiol-ene network polymer, poly(limonene thioether) (PLT32o), is synthesized, characterized, fabricated into tissue engineering scaffolds, and demonstrated in vitro and in vivo. Micromolded PLT32o grids exhibit compliant, elastomeric mechanical behavior similar to grids made of poly(glycerol sebacate) (PGS), an established biomaterial. Multilayered PL32o scaffolds with regular, geometrically defined pore architectures support heart cell seeding and culture in a manner similar to multilayered PGS scaffolds. Subcutaneous implantation of multilayered PLT32o scaffolds with cultured heart cells provides long-term 3D structural support and retains the exogenous cells, whereas PGS scaffolds lose both their structural integrity and the exogenous cells over 31 d in vivo. PLT32o membrane implants retain their dry mass, whereas PGS implants lose 70 percent of their dry mass by day 31. Macrophages are initially recruited to PLT32o and PGS membrane implants but are no longer present by day 31. Facile synthesis and processing in combination with the capability to support heart cells in vitro and in vivo suggest that PLT32o can offer advantages for tissue engineering applications where prolonged in vivo maintenance of 3D structural integrity and elastomeric mechanical behavior are required.United States. National Institutes of Health (R01-HL107503

Amino acid residues in five separate HLA genes can explain most of the known associations between the MHC and primary biliary cholangitis.

Primary Biliary Cholangitis (PBC) is a chronic autoimmune liver disease characterised by progressive destruction of intrahepatic bile ducts. The strongest genetic association is with HLA-DQA1*04:01, but at least three additional independent HLA haplotypes contribute to susceptibility. We used dense single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) data in 2861 PBC cases and 8514 controls to impute classical HLA alleles and amino acid polymorphisms using state-of-the-art methodologies. We then demonstrated through stepwise regression that association in the HLA region can be largely explained by variation at five separate amino acid positions. Three-dimensional modelling of protein structures and calculation of electrostatic potentials for the implicated HLA alleles/amino acid substitutions demonstrated a correlation between the electrostatic potential of pocket P6 in HLA-DP molecules and the HLA-DPB1 alleles/amino acid substitutions conferring PBC susceptibility/protection, highlighting potential new avenues for future functional investigation

Fatal Caprine arthritis encephalitis virus– like infection in 4 Rocky Mountain goats (Oreamnos americanus)

Over a 3.5-year period, 4 Rocky Mountain goats (Oreamnos americanus), housed at a single facility, developed clinical disease attributed to infection by Caprine arthritis encephalitis virus (CAEV). Ages ranged from 1 to 10 years. Three of the goats, a 1-year-old female, a 2-year-old male, and a 5-year-old male, had been fed raw domestic goat milk from a single source that was later found to have CAEV on the premises. The fourth animal, a 10-year-old male, had not ingested domestic goat milk but had been housed with the other 3 Rocky Mountain goats. All 4 animals had clinical signs of pneumonia prior to death. At necropsy, findings in lungs included marked diffuse interstitial pneumonia characterized histologically by severe lymphoplasmacytic infiltrates with massive alveolar proteinosis, interstitial fibrosis, and type II pneumocyte hyperplasia. One animal also developed left-sided hemiparesis, and locally extensive lymphoplasmacytic myeloencephalitis was present in the cranial cervical spinal cord. Two animals had joint effusions, as well as severe lymphoplasmacytic and ulcerative synovitis. Immunohistochemical staining of fixed sections of lung tissue from all 4 goats, as well as spinal cord in 1 affected animal, and synovium from 2 affected animals were positive for CAEV antigen. Serology testing for anti-CAEV antibodies was positive in the 2 goats tested. The cases suggest that Rocky Mountain goats are susceptible to naturally occurring CAEV infection, that CAEV from domestic goats can be transmitted to this species through infected milk and by horizontal transmission, and that viral infection can result in clinically severe multisystemic disease.Keywords: Viral disease, Rocky Mountain goats, Myelitis, Interstitial pneumonia, Goats, Arthritis, Caprine arthritis encephalitis viru

Radial Star Formation Histories in 32 Nearby Galaxies

The spatially resolved star formation histories are studied for 32 normal star-forming galaxies drawn from the the Spitzer Extended Disk Galaxy Exploration Science survey. At surface brightness sensitivities fainter than 28 mag arcsec$^{-2}$, the new optical photometry is deep enough to complement archival ultraviolet and infrared imaging and to explore the properties of the emission well beyond the traditional optical extents of these nearby galaxies. Fits to the spectral energy distributions using a delayed star formation history model indicate a subtle but interesting average radial trend for the spiral galaxies: the inner stellar systems decrease in age with increasing radius, consistent with inside-out disk formation, but the trend reverses in the outermost regions with the stellar age nearly as old as the innermost stars. These results suggest an old stellar outer disk population formed through radial migration and/or the cumulative history of minor mergers and accretions of satellite dwarf galaxies. The subset of S0 galaxies studied here show the opposite trend compared to what is inferred for spirals: characteristic stellar ages that are increasingly older with radius for the inner portions of the galaxies, and increasingly younger stellar ages for the outer portions. This result suggests that either S0 galaxies are not well modeled by a delayed-$\tau$ model, and/or that S0 galaxies have a more complicated formation history than spiral galaxies.Comment: Accepted for publication in the Astronomical Journal. arXiv admin note: text overlap with arXiv:1511.0328